Abuja Ranked As Smartest City in Nigeria for 2025, Lagos Not Far Behind
Abuja has emerged as the smartest city in Nigeria, according to the latest IMD Smart City Index 2025, surpassing Lagos in the global ranking of 146 cities evaluated. The index, compiled by the IMD World Competitiveness Center, measures how residents perceive the technological and infrastructural development of their cities across key domains such as health, safety, mobility, governance, and digital services.
In this year's edition, Abuja climbed two spots to rank 133rd, while Lagos moved up one spot to 135th, reflecting modest but notable improvements in urban development and digital governance in both Nigerian cities.
| City | Global Rank (2025) | Change from 2024 |_________ |____________________ |___________________ | Abuja | 133 | ▲2 | Lagos | 135 | ▲1 | Nairobi | 136 | ▼5 | Cape Town | 124 | ▲5 | Cairo | 117 | ▼3 | Accra | 141 | ▼3
When compared to other African cities, Abuja stands out for its improved governance perception and modest advancements in public service digitization. It outperformed Lagos, Nairobi, and Accra, and is closing the gap with Cape Town, which remains the best-ranked sub-Saharan African city.
Key Findings: Abuja vs Lagos
1. Governance and Civic Engagement
Abuja scored higher in governance indicators. Residents reported better access to local government decision-making platforms, online voting systems, and public finance transparency tools.
Lagos, while showing signs of improvement, lagged in citizen participation and trust in public digital platforms.
2. Digital Infrastructure and Services
Both cities still struggle with limited technological infrastructure compared to global averages. However:
Abuja residents are more comfortable with digital surveillance and using online services for tasks like medical bookings or air quality monitoring.
Lagos faces more congestion-related frustrations, with respondents expressing dissatisfaction with transport apps and real-time traffic tools.
3. Priorities and Urban Challenges
The top five concerns raised by Abuja and Lagos residents were nearly identical:
Affordable housing
Road congestion
Health services
Public transport
Waste and water infrastructure
These priorities mirror urban pressures common across rapidly growing cities in emerging economies.
Progression Since 2024
Both cities improved in the 2025 index, albeit slightly:
Abuja: ▲2 positions from 135th to 133rd
Lagos: ▲1 position from 136th to 135th
Although the gains are modest, they signify incremental advancements in urban management, digital engagement, and citizen-centric governance. Abuja's slight leap was largely attributed to better perceptions around public safety, online service delivery, and local governance transparency.
Why This Matters
As urban populations surge and digital transformation accelerates, smart city development has become crucial for national competitiveness, liveability, and sustainability. The IMD Index offers a resident-centered lens into how cities perform—not just on infrastructure, but on how people experience urban life.
Abuja’s rise as Nigeria’s smartest city shows that smaller, better-planned cities with targeted governance reforms can outperform megacities like Lagos in resident satisfaction and digital service delivery.
The IMD Smart City Index 2025 reveals a promising, albeit cautious, trajectory for Nigeria’s urban centers. Abuja leads the way, with Lagos not far behind, both improving in global ranking but still facing significant hurdles in housing, transport, and technological deployment.
With strategic investments, smarter governance, and citizen-centered urban planning, Nigerian cities can climb further up the global rankings—and better serve their rapidly growing populations.