Barcelona in the rankings 2025

Barcelona has ranked as one of the top cities in the world across many categories: tech, culture, education and more!

The capital of Catalonia is regarded as one of the overall best cities in the world and is ranked for the attraction of international talent. Expats are especially attracted to Barcelona for its location, cultural attractions, nightlife, and safety and security. 

Barcelona in the rankings

General

Best cities in the world

Resonance Consultancy’s World’s Best Cities Report ranked the world’s cities with over one million residents based on six categories: 

    • Place (weather, safety, landmarks, access to outdoors)
    • Product (airport connectivity, attractions, museums, universities, conventions)
    • Programming (culture, nightlife, restaurants, shopping)
    • People (labour force participational, education access)
    • Prosperity (presence of Fortune 500 companies, GDP per capita, employment rate, income equality)
    • Promotion (Facebook visits, Google searches and trends, TripAdvisor reviews, Instagram hashtags

Best cities in europe

Resonance Consultancy’s Europe’s Best Cities Report ranked Europe’s cities with over one million residents based on six categories: 

    • Place (weather, safety, landmarks, access to outdoors)
    • Product (airport connectivity, attractions, museums, universities, conventions)
    • Programming (culture, nightlife, restaurants, shopping)
    • People (labour force participational, education access)
    • Prosperity (presence of Fortune 500 companies, GDP per capita, employment rate, income equality)
    • Promotion (Facebook visits, Google searches and trends, TripAdvisor reviews, Instagram hashtags

Europe's most talked about cities

ING Media’s Most Talked About Cities Report ranked 60 of Europe’s cities based on their digital visibility across platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and more.

World's most admired cities

Ipsos’ City Brands Index ranked the world’s most admired cities out of 50 evaluated. The rankings were based on 5,000 virtual interviews in 10 countries, including the United States, France, China, Brazil, Germany, and more.

Attractions and culture

World's best sports cities

Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports ranked the top 50 sports cities in the world, looking at how associated a city is with its sports culture from the perspective of international federations and sports industry experts, as well as a digital analysis of how often the word “sport” shows up on online platforms in association with a city.

Best small community tourism

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation ranked the top 32 best towns and villages for tourism in its Best Tourism Villages list. The rankings were based on cultural and natural resources and their promotion; economic, environmental and social sustainability; tourism development and prioritisation; infrastructure and connectivity; and health, safety and security.

Best Pizza outside of Italy

50 Top Pizza ranked the 50 best European pizzerias outside of Italy. The rankings were based on various qualities, including ingredient usage and origin, preparation, and restaurant atmosphere.

Community

Top pride destinations

HomeToGo ranked the top cities in which to celebrate Pride. The rankings were based on travel connectivity, trending demand, LGBTQ+ nightlife, LGBTQ+ laws, and the affordability of accommodations.

Best cities for expats

InterNations’ Best Cities for Expats ranked 50 of the world’s top cities for expats based on a series of indexes: Quality of Life Index, Ease of Settling In Index, Working Abroad Index, Personal Finance Index, and Expat Essentials Index.

Education

World university rankings

Quacquarelli Symonds’ World University Rankings ranked almost 1,500 institutions around the world based on academic reputation, number of international students, and more.

Best financial education

The Financial Times’ Executive Education Custom ranked the top 75 of the best business schools internationally. The rankings were based on faculty publications and feedback from recent graduates, current students, and clients with programmes commissioned at the business school.

Best global universities

U.S. News and World Report’s rankings for Best Global Universities, which includes 2,000 universities. The rankings were determined by the universities’ research performance and ratings by members of the academic community.

Best global universities in europe

U.S. News and World Report’s rankings for Best Global Universities in Europe were based on a ranking of Best Global Universities. The rankings were determined by the universities’ research performance and ratings by members of the academic community.

Best student cities

Quacquarelli Symonds’ Best Student Cities Rankings ranked 140 university cities around the world based on current students’ opinions on affordability and desirability, among other factors.

Economy, progress and innovation

Top european cities of the future

fDi Intelligence ranked the top 10 European cities of the future. The rankings were based on the number of foreign direct investment projects a city has. Foreign direct investments are investments in a company from investors outside of the country where the company is located.

Highest technological investment

Barcelona ranks eighth in the list of European cities that attract the most technological investment, receiving a total of $6.3 billion from foreign investors in the last 10 years. Barcelona and its wider metropolitan area continue to consolidate their position as a major European hub for attracting investment in the healthcare and health technology sectors.

Most competitive global talent

INSEAD Business School’s Global Cities Talent Competitiveness Index ranked 175 of the world’s cities based on how attractive and competitive they are for international talent. The rankings were based on GDP per capita, internet speed, unemployment rates, presence of Forbes Global 2000 companies, size of international population, and foreign direct investment projects.

Global power cities

The Japanese Mori Memorial Foundation’s Global Power City Index ranked 48 global cities based on six categories:

    • Economy (market size, market attractiveness, economic vitality, human capital, business environment, ease of doing business)
    • Research and Development (academic resources, research environment, innovation)
    • Cultural Interaction (trendsetting potential, tourism resources, cultural facilities, visitor amenities, international interaction)
    • Livability (working environment, cost of living, security and safety, well-being, ease of living)
    • Environment (sustainability, air quality and comfort, urban environment)
    • Accessibility (international network, air transport capacity, inner-city transportation, transport comfortability)

Global cities' readiness

Kearney’s Readiness for the Storm report ranked the top 30 global cities’ readiness for challenges like inflation and economic and political turmoil. The rankings were based on international academic and business advisors’ analysis of the current conditions of cities and their investments in their future growth. They were then cumulated into two lists: the Global Cities Index, which measures the current condition of a city, and the Global Cities Outlook, which measures the cities’ future investments.

Best cities for digital nomads

By Digital Nomads ranked 16 of the best cities in the world for digital nomads to explore. Cities were determined based on the city’s culture, internet speed, affordability, and other attractions relevant to digital nomads.

Best cities for remote work

Preply’s Workation Index ranked 75 global cities based on their attractiveness for remote work. The rankings were based on the climate and environment of the city, access to affordable housing, and human rights values.

Best conference cities

The International Congress and Convention Association ranked the top cities in the world by both their number of conference attendees each year and their number of conferences hosted.

Resources

The following resources are available to find out more information about Barcelona’s statistics that contribute to its position in various rankings:

More statistics

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