Cybersecurity in Catalonia

Catalonia’s cybersecurity sector now includes 516 companies, growing by 50% over the past five years.

Download our report about the Cybersecurity ecosystem in Catalonia

In Catalonia, 516 companies employ over 9,450 people in cybersecurity.

The number of cybersecurity companies in Catalonia grew 4.2% over the previous year. These companies employ 9,458 people and generate a total turnover of over 1,244 million euros (+16.1%).

These are some of the main conclusions of the study 'Cybersecurity in Catalonia,' prepared by Catalonia Trade & Investment and the Cybersecurity Agency of Catalonia.

The study contemplates cybersecurity as a set of physical, logical, and governance measures protecting data properties and information systems. In short, this area encompasses the comprehensive management of threats, from their identification to protective actions, detection of threats and response to cyber incidents, and recovery procedures after the event.

70% of reported cybersecurity incidents are due to ransomware. In 2023, the number of reported incidents of ransomware published increased by 460% compared to the previous year. The study highlights issues related to phishing (38%), the spread of malware (25%), and cyber fraud (11%).

The study also highlights the importance of cybersecurity for the industry as a whole, given its effects on many economic areas, especially in an increasingly connected world, a fact that generates opportunities for companies (and especially startups) and for the development of new business models.

Furthermore, the study also points out that cybersecurity development can promote innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, connected vehicles, industry 4.0, digital health, and e-commerce.

Search our database to find Catalan companies working in the cybersecurity sector.

516 companies
9,458 jobs
€1,244M in turnover

“In Barcelona, we have many excellent research centers, mainly in the areas of life sciences, photonics, and supercomputers”

Mateo Valero, Director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center

Share quote:

An analysis of the cybersecurity sector in Catalonia

Catalan companies working in the field of cybersecurity are mainly SMEs (85.3% of the total), 16.7% are startups, and about a third (26.9%) are under 10 years old. It is an international sector, with 27.5% of the companies being exporters.

As regards the business segments, the document states that 89.9% of companies work in protection, followed by those that identify cyberattacks (58.7%), those that specialize in detection (39%), response (34.3%), and recovery from these events (20.7%).

In addition to companies, the cybersecurity ecosystem in Catalonia is complemented by technology centers and research institutes, universities that offer master's and postgraduate studies, as well as vocational training, associations, institutions, and public administration entities, not to mention trade events such as the IoT or the MWC.

International positioning

According to the study, in 2023, Catalonia ranked as the third European region for foreign investment attraction in the cybersecurity sector, only behind Ireland and the Brussels region. Four projects worth 66.4 million euros (2.4% of the total) were captured, leading to the creation of 407 jobs (3.7%).

The document also points out that Barcelona ranks 10th in the European Union as regards the total value of rounds closed by startups in cybersecurity. Over the last five years (2019-2023), 14 rounds worth 85.2 million dollars have been closed. The Catalan startup with the most funding was Red Points, which has completed two rounds worth over 58 million dollars over the last five years.

The Catalan cybersecurity field is equally pioneering in terms of innovation. If we analyze the impact of the European Union's Horizon Europe program, Catalonia has been behind 15 projects from 13 entities that have attracted a total investment of over 5.5 million euros (21.3% of the Spanish total and 3.2% of the EU) in this sector.

Global cybersecurity trends and applications

According to the report, global turnover in cybersecurity is estimated to grow at a rate of 10% year-on-year between 2023 and 2028, rising to around 275 billion dollars. Asia (12.3%) will be the region that will grow the most, followed by Europe (10.3%) and the Americas (9.8%).

The increasing need for cybersecurity to deal with an increasing number of threats also brings about a corresponding need for new talent. The number of professionals specializing in cybersecurity has grown by 8.7% globally, according to the study, but so has the need to fill vacancies, with the gap between supply and demand growing by 12.6%.