// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is Brussels?

Brussels scores 54.5% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #149 of 386 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

54.5%

Rank

#149 / 386

Criteria present

38 / 86

Evidence coverage

64%

Brussels's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation85%

9 present · 4 partial · 0 absent · 2 not assessed

Mobility & Transport86%

8 present · 3 partial · 0 absent · 1 not assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate71%

3 present · 4 partial · 0 absent · 6 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste77%

7 present · 3 partial · 1 absent

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion80%

3 present · 2 partial · 0 absent · 8 not assessed

Economy, Innovation & Employment100%

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

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model88%

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

Where Brussels is strong

  • Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure
  • Culture, Tourism & Recreation
  • Digital Government Services
  • Public Transport & Real-Time Information
  • Smart Traffic & Electric Vehicles

Where the gaps are

  • Public Safety & Emergency
  • Education & Digital Skills
  • Energy & Smart Grid
  • Governance & Smart-City Operating Model
  • Water & Sanitation

Evidence highlights

Digital Government Services · Unified online services portal

Brussels-Capital Region operates IRISbox, an electronic counter and online one-stop-shop for regional and local services, allowing citizens and businesses to consult documents, access interactive forms, and perform administrative procedures online 24/7.

https://irisbox.irisnet.be/login

Digital Government Services · Digital identity / single sign-on

itsme is the official Belgian digital identity application, used by nearly 8 million Belgians to securely log in, create accounts, confirm transactions, and sign documents for over 900 Belgian services, including administrations, and is an access method for…

https://informations-pratiques.org/articles/mon-compte-itsme.html

Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure · Fibre / high-speed broadband coverage

The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) publishes a fibre map showing the status of Fiber To The Home (FTTH) optical fibre network rollout on Belgian territory, as communicated by operators.

https://www.bipt-data.be/en

Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure · Public Wi-Fi network

The Brussels-Capital Region operates "wifi.brussels," an official free Wi-Fi network with over 200 hotspots available in public spaces.

https://be.brussels/en/about-region/values-budget-and-strategy/transparency-free-access-information/free-wi-fi-brussels

About this assessment

Brussels was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-07-12 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. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.