San José is one of the 20 smartest cities in Latin America according to the Cities in Motion 2026 Index published last month by the IESE Center for Globalization and Strategy.
The study evaluates 183 cities in 92 countries, 85 of which are capital cities, and considers more than 113 indicators encompassed in nine dimensions:
• Human Capital: Measures the ability to attract and retain talent, considering education, cultural offerings, and attraction of international students.
• Social Cohesion: Evaluates inclusion, well-being, access to healthcare services, security, and social equity.
• Economy: Analyzes economic dynamism, growth, competitiveness, and employment.
• Governance: Examines the quality of institutions, transparency, efficiency, and citizen participation.
• Environment: Measures environmental sustainability, air quality, water quality, waste management, and climate change policies.
• Urban planning: Evaluates the organization of urban space, density, access to services, and sustainable development plans.
• International projection: Measures the city’s global capacity, its attractiveness for investment and international cooperation.
• Technology: Evaluates technological development, digital infrastructure, and innovation.
• Mobility and transportation: Analyzes the quality and sustainability of the transportation system, including public transportation, road infrastructure, and sustainable mobility policies.
Based on these criteria, the study assigns each city an index on a scale of 100 and groups them into: high performance (H) with a score above 90; relatively high (RA) between 60 and 90; medium (M) between 45 and 60; and low (B) less than 45.
On the top tier
San José achieved an index of 28.15, placing it in category B and 14th among the smartest cities in Latin America. It ranks 152nd globally. Positive aspects include the environment, where it was ranked 91st in the world, followed by governance (107th), economy (108th), and international projection (125th).
Conversely, mobility and transportation, where it ranked 181st in the world, urban planning (174th), human capital (168th), technology (149th), and social cohesion (143rd), all highlight areas of opportunity to improve residents’ quality of life.
Santiago was ranked the smartest city in Latin America with an index of 48.83. For the second year in a row, London remains the smartest city in the world with a perfect score. The IESE Cities in Motion study is a tool for understanding cities’ progress toward sustainability and urban intelligence.
