The Downgrade of Bilbao, Spain’s Leading Smart City

This article aims to analyse the main variables responsible for the downgrade in the ranking of Bilbao in Spain as the top smart city, according to the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) index. The factors that will undergo rigorous study are those that contribute to either improvement or exacerbation between 2019 and 2023. The objective is to identify the primary causes for the decline in Bilbao’s ranking places. This research may be of interest to cities seeking to enhance the quality of life for its residents by gaining insights from this report. This study examines the primary enhancements and failures that the city has implemented in certain areas. Gaining knowledge on how to prevent these failures and implementing enhancements in future urban areas is significant and remarkable.