Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province ranked among the nation's top 10 cities in terms of digital development, a recent report said.

The report compiled by the Chinese Society for Urban Studies evaluated the digital development of major cities in the nation based on indicators such as environment, governance, life, and ecology.

Hangzhou topped the list, followed by Shanghai, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo and Qingdao. Eight of the top 10 cities are located on the developed eastern coastline.

In recent years, Ningbo has made strides in the employment of digital technologies in industrial transformation, government reform and social governance.

The city's digital economic scale now accounts for 45 percent of the city's GDP, official data show.

Residents in Ningbo ranked fifth nationwide in terms of satisfaction with digital services, according to the report.

Through Zheliban, an online government service platform launched by the Zhejiang provincial government, local residents are able to access 412 public services, not the least of which include paying utility bills and withdrawing housing provident funds.

"At present, China is leading the world in digital development, especially when it comes to mobile payment and digital governance," said Song Junde, chairman of the China Communication Standards Association and a professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

Many places in the country are scrambling to promote digitalization, which is playing an increasingly important role in promoting economic and social development and modernizing the country's governance system and capacity, he said.