Digital sector in Barcelona sees turnover of 6 billion and employs nearly 10,000 workers

• 60% of all companies in this sector in Barcelona work globally.
• The Barcelona Tech City cluster brings together 300 companies in the digital arena.

Barcelona has become the technology ecosystem in southern Europe and a global benchmark, making it a great place to start up and grow business projects related to the digital and technology sectors. This can be seen in figures in the report published by Barcelona Tech City, the cluster open to all the stakeholders in digital and technology business in Barcelona.

According to the report, digital companies in the Catalan capital saw joint turnover of 6 billion euros in 2014, up 300% from 2012 when the total turnover of the digital sector was 2 billion euros. Employment in this sector also showed noteworthy growth, with nearly 10,000 people currently working in the sector, twice as many as four years ago. It must be noted that 60% of all companies in this sector located in the city see revenue from abroad.

Additionally, the report also points out that the sector is still expanding and therefore its potential for growth and turnover is enormous. In fact, one in three companies in the digital sector in Barcelona were created in the past 2 years, and the average lifespan of companies in the sector is less than 5 years.

The expansion of the digital sector in the city is the result of attracting foreign companies that see Barcelona as a good place to establish headquarters and carry out projects, and of the access to talent by new entrepreneurs. The Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, has been key in this process, promoting entrepreneurial projects, offering incubation spaces and training courses for many start-ups that have been created in the city in recent years.

All of this is part of Barcelona’s commitment to investing in and growing the sector, with the aim of becoming the capital of southern Europe in digital technology and innovation. The Mobile World Congress is a clear example of this.