Smart cities ecosystem
in Catalonia

Catalonia is a pioneer in the adoption of smart solutions for urban management, with public and private initiatives developing internationally recognized strategies and municipal projects.

Download our report about the Smart Cities sector in Catalonia

Barcelona-Catalonia, a testing ground for smart cities solutions.

Barcelona -the third smart city in the world and first in Europe, according to Juniper Research (2022)- is the Mobile World Capital and has a powerful ICT sector that connects, facilitates and empowers all the multiple smart solutions.

These solutions range from efficient energy systems and smart transit solutions (parking, public transport, etc.) to predictive security models or water usage solutions, not to mention telehealth and m-Health, improvement in tourism and commerce (computer systems, payment methods) or management in terms of learning and education. You can search our database for Catalan suppliers of smart city solutions.

Smart city companies in Catalonia grow by 7.3%

A study elaborated by Catalonia Trade & Investment (2022) shows that the smart cities sector in Catalonia is made up of 471 companies, with a workforce of 46,077 people.

In relation to 2018, the number of companies has increased by 7.3%. Their collective turnover, solely linked to the smart city sector, came to 10,445 million euros, a growth of 7.5% compared to 2018. This figure represents 4.3% of the Catalan GDP, proof of how important this sector is for Catalonia’s business environment.

The sector is largely made up of small and medium-sized companies (88.5% of the companies are SMEs), and 26.3% of them are startups. Moreover, 56.7% of the Catalan smart city companies export, and 13% are foreign subsidiaries.

SMART CITY EXPO WORLD CONGRESS

Join us at this year's edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress, the world's largest and most influential event for urban innovation, which brings together leaders from the most innovative companies, governments, and organizations to move cities toward a better future.

Discover the Catalonia Trade & Investment's activities at SCEWC 2024

“Our center in Barcelona is a critical asset of Cisco's innovation strategy. We see Barcelona as an innovation hub for Europe.”

Xavier Massa, Director of Public Sector Sales at Cisco Spain

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471 companies
€10.5 billion in turnover
46,077 employees

Sectors and opportunities for investment

Catalonia has opportunities for foreign investment in the smart city sector for companies with a high technological development profile. Some of the international firms that have already set up in Catalonia are Engie, Cisco, IBM, HP and Ricoh.

Cluster initiatives, technological centers, and universities specialized in smart cities play an important role in the significant development of smart city activity in Catalonia. The region also has 64 municipalities with over 20,000 inhabitants, creating a testing ground for the new technologies developed by sector companies, not to mention the public administration’s commitment to this area.

Moreover, Barcelona hosts the Smart City Expo World Congress once a year, the most important event related to smart cities worldwide, which sets new trends and innovations for the future. In the 2023 edition, more than 1,100 exhibitors from 140 countries showcased their products and solutions, and representatives from over 800 cities shared the major challenges facing cities today.