Barcelona Tech Industry: General Overview

Barcelona is one of the leading tech centers for entrepreneurship and innovation in Europe and probably the wealthiest city in Spain. During the last 5 years, the city was recognized as the 5th biggest startup hub in Europe after London, Paris, Berlin, and Stockholm. Young IT professionals like Barcelona for high life quality and relatively low rent prices.

In 2018, Barcelona was the second city with the highest number of IT professionals among all European cities - 72.500. In 2021, the number considerably increased, but not only in Barcelona, and the city probably is still in the top 5.

Overall, Barcelona has attracted more than 150 IT companies and investors, drawing the attention of other tech behemoths and also young professionals located regionally. In addition to this, Barcelona has also a generous number of startup programs, incubators, accelerator programs, and partnerships.  101 startups, 2 Digit Growth, Barcelona International Business Accelerator, IQS Tech Factory, or Incubame are only a few names from these categories.  Among tech giants, Amazon, Airbnb, and WeWork have offices in the city - which again confirms the important role Barcelona has in the European digital economy. 

When it comes to average wages in IT, Barcelona professionals get $41K/year which is satisfactory taking into account living expenses in the city. However, compared to Madrid, where on average IT professionals get $57K/year, Barcelona is 30% behind.

Overall, Barcelona is one of Europe’s most developed cities and a leading tech hub with high potential to attract more investors, professionals, and IT companies. Other advantages we didn’t mention are a mild climate, dynamic lifestyle, and a healthy business environment - things that are already expected from a top tech hub in Europe.