// CITY_ASSESSMENT
How smart is Varanasi?
Varanasi scores 43% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #280 of 388 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Smart score
43%
Rank
#280 / 388
Criteria present
24 / 86
Evidence coverage
59.3%
Varanasi's smart city score by area
3 present · 7 partial · 2 absent · 3 not assessed
2 present · 3 partial · 1 absent · 6 not assessed
2 present · 3 partial · 0 absent · 8 not assessed
2 present · 5 partial · 1 absent · 3 not assessed
9 present · 2 partial · 2 absent
4 present · 1 partial · 0 absent · 3 not assessed
2 present · 6 partial · 1 absent · 5 not assessed
Where Varanasi is strong
- ▸Culture, Tourism & Recreation
- ▸Housing & Urban Planning
- ▸Health & Digital Health
- ▸Education & Digital Skills
- ▸Public Safety & Emergency
Where the gaps are
- ▸Energy & Smart Grid
- ▸Climate Action & Emissions
- ▸Green Space & Biodiversity
- ▸Climate Adaptation & Heat
- ▸Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure
Evidence highlights
Digital Government Services · Digital identity / single sign-on
India has a national single sign-on service called MeriPehchaan, which allows users to access multiple online government applications and services with a single set of credentials and reuse their profile information.
https://meripehchaan.gov.inPublic Transport & Real-Time Information · Public transport network
Varanasi has a public transport network, with buses being a listed mode of transportation for getting around the city.
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/VaranasiPublic Transport & Real-Time Information · Real-time arrivals (GTFS-RT)
Real-time arrival information is available for buses in Varanasi through the Chalo App, which offers "Live Bus Tracking."
https://chalo.com/Air Quality & Monitoring · Air-quality monitoring network
Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) data is available for Ardhali Bazar, Varanasi, indicating the presence of air quality monitoring.
https://aqicn.org/city/india/varanasi/ardhali-bazar/About this assessment
Varanasi was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-09-04 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.