// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is Riyadh?

Riyadh scores 29.1% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #152 of 213 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

29.1%

Rank

#152 / 213

Criteria present

19 / 86

Evidence coverage

37.2%

Riyadh's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation36%

2 present · 1 partial · 4 absent · 8 not assessed

Mobility & Transport75%

1 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 10 not assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate100%

3 present · 0 partial · 0 absent · 10 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste50%

0 present · 3 partial · 0 absent · 8 not assessed

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion75%

5 present · 5 partial · 0 absent · 3 not assessed

Economy, Innovation & Employment71%

4 present · 2 partial · 1 absent · 1 not assessed

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model50%

4 present · 1 partial · 4 absent · 5 not assessed

Where Riyadh is strong

  • Education & Digital Skills
  • Inclusion & Civic Participation
  • Food Security & Urban Agriculture
  • Climate Action & Emissions
  • Health & Digital Health

Where the gaps are

  • Smart Traffic & Electric Vehicles
  • Water & Sanitation
  • Public Safety & Emergency
  • Digital Government Services
  • Active & Shared Mobility

Evidence highlights

Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal

Riyadh Municipality operates an "Open Data Portal" which serves as an open library portal for visitors to access data.

https://www.alriyadh.gov.sa/en/open-data

Climate Action & Emissions · Climate action plan

Riyadh has a published 'Riyadh Sustainability Strategy' by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, indicating a strategic plan for sustainability.

https://www.rcrc.gov.sa/en/projects/riyadh-sustainability-strategy

Climate Action & Emissions · Emissions monitoring / reporting

The Riyadh Municipality Portal provides 'Realtime data' including an 'Air Quality Index' and offers this as 'Open Data' for public access, indicating regular public reporting of emissions related to air quality.

https://alriyadh.gov.sa/en/real-time-data

Health & Digital Health · Public health open data

The Saudi Health Council and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties both encourage exploring their "Data Portal", and the Ministry of Health provides an eServices section specifically for "Open-Data".

https://shc.gov.sa/en/

About this assessment

Riyadh was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-07-06 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, and every finding links to where it was found — see how smart cities are measured. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.