Bilbao is among the 10 smartest cities worldwide, according to Smart City Index (SCI) presented by the Smart Cities Observatory of the IMD World Competitiveness Center. The Index evaluates 102 global cities by conducting a perception survey among the citizens themselves in five key areas: health and safety, mobility, cultural activities, employment and educational opportunities, and governance. In each area, citizens evaluate the impact and scope of two pillars: the existing infrastructure, and the available technologies.

In Bilbao, ranked 9th, the best value in terms of infrastructure is public transport, followed by cultural activities and continuous learning opportunities, and the only point where it fails is traffic congestion. In terms of available technologies, citizens value first of all the possibility of buying tickets for cultural activities, while citizen participation by telematic means, the availability of car sharing applications, and online access to public accounts are suspended.

The survey also asks citizens what are the most urgent and priority aspects, and in the case of Bilbao, they highlight access to decent employment, affordable housing. and security.