Mainz, the state capital, is making significant strides in digital transformation. In the latest Smart City Index 2026 published by the digital association Bitkom, Mainz has moved up nine spots in the overall ranking to 42nd place. Its progress has been particularly strong in the key category of “Public Administration.” Here, Mainz has climbed 25 spots to rank 32nd. The index compares 83 major cities in Germany.

Mainz achieved top scores with full points for digital payment options (100 points) and the service portal (100 points). Online administrative services (94.4 points) and online appointment scheduling (90 points) also performed very well. In terms of handling citizen inquiries, Mainz scored 80 points; for its website—prior to the relaunch—it scored 76.3 points.

Mayor Nino Haase is pleased with Mainz’s significant progress in the latest city comparison: “In recent years, we have invested heavily in a modern and citizen-friendly administration. This applies to citizen services as well as to internal processes and, increasingly, to the use of AI. The results of the city comparison show that our strong commitment is paying off and is being recognized throughout Germany. The fact that we were able to improve our ranking by 25 places in this area is a strong signal. The positive scores for our digital services are both a confirmation and an incentive for us. We will continue to push forward and, step by step, make our administration even more citizen-friendly and modern. That is why I have also placed a focus on digitalization in the draft of the new staffing plan, because an efficient administration also contributes to budget consolidation.”

This positive development is also the result of concrete investments in the administration. The relaunch of the city’s website, mainz.de, this year marks another important milestone in the city’s digital offerings. As a result, information and services are now more clearly organized and easier to access; furthermore, new features can be introduced step by step.

“For citizens, a ‘smart city’ begins with their everyday interactions with the administration,” said Haase. “When you can book an appointment online, apply for a service digitally, or simply pay a fee online, digitization becomes a tangible experience. This is exactly the path we want to continue on.”

The Bitkom Smart City Index is a digital ranking of major German cities and is compiled annually. For the 2026 edition, 83 cities with more than 100,000 residents were analyzed. The Smart City Index has been published since 2019.