Barcelona, among the 20 most competitive cities in the world

BarcelonaThe city of Barcelona is increasingly appearing in more global and European rankings as one of the best cities in many areas. It stands out, above all, for being second in the world and first in Europe for foreign investment projects in research and development centers. In short, it is one of the 20 most competitive cities in the world. This is according to the report prepared with 2024 data by the Barcelona Observatory, an initiative promoted by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the City Council, presented this Thursday morning.

The president of the Chamber, Josep Santacreu, recalled that the goal is to make Barcelona "a better and more cohesive city, a city where everyone wants to live and feels good." Meanwhile, Jordi Valls, Fourth Deputy Mayor for Economy and Finance at Barcelona City Council, stated that "between 2023 and 2024, the city has improved in practically all areas." "Until now there were 4 driving forces in Barcelona, ​​but now there is a fifth: technology, research, innovation and start-ups: "Now this is the engine that is growing the most," he assured.

All in all, Barcelona faces challenges such as housing, which is one of the most worrying areas. "Inequality is our main challenge and what we must continue to resolve; it is necessary for people to be able to work and live in the city and not be expelled for not being able to pay for housing," Valls pointed out.

The rankings

Regarding the global and European lists, Barcelona is on practically all of them. Àngels Santigosa, head of the Studies Department of the City Council's Economic Management Department, highlighted a few, among which she highlighted that Barcelona ranks 19th in the world in terms of global competitiveness and climbs to ninth in Europe.

"Barcelona is attractive for foreign investment," Santigosa noted, and is also positioned as the 8th most attractive city globally for international talent looking to work abroad. In this regard, Santigosa detailed that from 2018 to 2023 there were 184 foreign investment projects, behind only Bangalore (India), which secured 272 projects, and praised the commitment of companies like AstraZeneca to Catalonia.

However, the Chamber's director of economic analysis, Carme Poveda, noted that the cost of living in Barcelona rose in 2024 "more than in other European cities," although, according to Poveda, "without affecting its competitiveness among major European cities." Regarding office rentals, "prices are positioned in the lower-middle range among the most important European cities." Likewise, Poveda asserted, 2024 "has been a year of recovery for the office market, mainly led by 22@."