Hong Kong has placed significant emphasis on smart transformation and development in recent years – and its efforts have not gone unrecognised. Published recently, the Polytechnic University’s 2025 Smart City Index ranked Hong Kong in eighth position among 73 global cities.
Enhanced functionality: Digital Policy Office Senior Systems Manager Ray Cheung says users can check bill balances issued by the Water Supplies Department, view speed post bills from Hong Kong Post and make payments using the Faster Payments System via the latest version of iAM Smart. Image source: news.gov.hk
The study analyses smart city development across different cities, with reference to six key dimensions: citizens, environment, social landscape, economy, infrastructure and governance.
Top-ranking city
On governance, Hong Kong performs particularly strongly in terms of smart city policy and plans, as well as its development of e-government initiatives, ranking number one in these areas.
Additionally, in the area of data transparency, Hong Kong leads on willingness to develop open data and the diversity of its open data categories.
Polytechnic University Smart Cities Research Institute Director John Shi is responsible for the Smart City Index. Commenting on Hong Kong’s high ranking, he said: “This is truly an outstanding achievement – a reflection of Hong Kong’s position as one of the leading smart cities globally.”
According to Mr Shi, Hong Kong’s top strength is its economy: he praised the city’s robust business environment, high-tech supporting systems and overall value.
He also pointed to its good governance, highlighting the city’s advances in e-governance, data openness and initiatives such as the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal, which facilitates data sharing among the public and private sectors. In addition, he said the city’s education, research and innovation sectors are vital elements that support its ongoing development as a smart city.
Strong advantages: Polytechnic University Smart Cities Research Institute Director John Shi credits Hong Kong’s advanced economy and balanced social development for its standout ranking on smart city transformation. Image source: news.gov.hk
Enhanced efficiency
Among the various smart city measures rolled out by the Government, the one most widely accessed by residents is the one-stop personalised digital services platform “iAM Smart”.
Since its launch, over 3.8 million users have registered for iAM Smart, and an average day now involves more than 180,000 interactions with the platform.
iAM Smart accounts are currently available in two versions: iAM Smart and iAM Smart+. The latter version offers the advantage of a digital signature function. In recent months, new features have been introduced to enhance user convenience. This includes instant bill viewing and expanded support for digital documentation.
More functions
Digital Policy Office Senior Systems Manager Ray Cheung said that by downloading the latest version of the iAM Smart app, users can easily check their water bill balances issued by the Water Supplies Department, view speed post bills from Hong Kong Post and make payments using the Faster Payment System.
He stressed that iAM Smart is a key digital infrastructure component, and a key initiative for driving the full digitalisation of online government services and accelerating smart government development.
Community promotion: The Government continues to promote the iAM Smart app at event booths, showcasing the latest version and enabling on-site registration for citizens. Image source: news.gov.hk
The Digital Policy Office has in fact been working closely with bureaus and departments to achieve the goal of a single portal for online government services. Moreover, it has been collaborating with the governments of Guangdong Province and Shenzhen to drive the Cross-boundary Public Services initiative, so that residents can access different government services from either side of the boundary.
