Barcelona climbs to the eighth favorite city to work abroad

Barcelona reaffirms itself as a leading city in sectors such as technology, science, and research, and revalidates its capacity to attract international talent. This is according to the Observatori Barcelona 2023 report, promoted by the City Council and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. The analysis shows that the Catalan capital has positioned itself as the eighth favorite city worldwide to work abroad. Climbing one position, it ranks ahead of cities like Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Paris, according to Decoding Global Talent 2024, compiled by the observatory.

This attraction of talent is also accompanied by the attraction of investment, as the city repeats for the third consecutive year as the European city with the best strategy for attracting foreign investment projects, according to FDi Cities and Regions of the Future 2024 from the Financial Times group. Furthermore, the Catalan capital has entered the Top 10 of resilient cities, occupying the ninth position globally and fourth in Europe, according to Resilient Cities Index, which places the city in the second global position in terms of public transport mobility for residents. Regarding the cost of living, Barcelona ranks 75th among cities with the highest cost of living worldwide, and climbs to 19th among cities in the Eurozone.

Competitiveness and entrepreneurship

For the eighth consecutive year, the city ranks among the top 25 in the world in terms of global competitiveness, according to the Global Power City Index. This ranking, compiled by the Observatori Barcelona report, compares 48 major cities and places the Catalan capital in 22nd place worldwide and 11th in Europe, ahead of cities like Brussels, Geneva, and Milan.

This competitiveness is also linked to the digital sphere, where Barcelona is positioned as the thirteenth globally and sixth in Europe. Furthermore, it is ninth in innovation in Europe, and repeats for the sixth year as the third favorite European city to launch a startup, in a context where Barcelona's entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to grow and has more than 2,100 startups. Thus, this ecosystem remains the first in Spain and sixth in Europe, and enters the Top 5 worldwide, with the fourth position.

Along the same lines, the entrepreneurial activity rate of the population residing in Barcelona's municipalities stood at 7.3% in 2022, with a notable increase in female entrepreneurship. At 6.8%, it surpasses the female rate of countries like Switzerland (6.3%) and Austria (6.1%), and has reduced the difference with the male rate by one point. Furthermore, the employment rate for women in Barcelona stands at 77.9%, a figure that represents the historical maximum in the city and is above the EU average. Overall, the city closed 2023 with an unemployment rate of 6.1%, the lowest since 2007.

Barcelona positions itself as the second city worldwide in the field of urban intelligence

The report, which has been carried out for 21 editions, highlights Barcelona's role as the second city worldwide in the field of urban intelligence. In this sense, the Smart Cities Index Report places it only behind Seoul in an area boosted in the Catalan capital through events such as the Smart City Expo World Congress. Fairs like this, the MWC and the ISE elevate Barcelona as a congress city, in an area where it has regained the first position in the number of attending delegates and remains fourth in the number of congresses organized, according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). The city strengthens its leadership in this area by being the only one that has remained in the Top 5 worldwide for the celebration of international congresses and meetings uninterruptedly during the last two decades, in a sector that stands as key for the Catalan capital.