Barcelona remains a very appealing European city. This is proven by its high ranking as the eighth out of 100 cities in the annual report on The World’s Best Cities 2024 published by the US consulting firm Resonance.

Every year, Resonance analyses over 270 cities with more than one million inhabitants to determine the 100 best cities, using a combination of core statistics and qualitative assessments. The consultancy interprets these data through the lens of three key factors: liveability, lovability and prosperity to come up with each city’s score.

Barcelona has been one of the top 10 cities in the ranking for several years now, and it is also in the Top 10 in categories such as liveability and lovability. The capital of Catalonia has earned a ranking of eighth best city in the world, ahead of other major European cities such as Rome and Berlin, and only behind London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai and San Francisco, which top the ranking. The Top 10 in this year’s edition is rounded off by Amsterdam in ninth place and Seoul in tenth.

A more liveable city with nightlife and major investments

Barcelona achieved its eighth-place ranking due to a variety of factors: its location near the sea and mountains, its iconic architectural monuments, a good climate and neighbourhoods with their own personality. But what particularly stands out is its nightlife, a category which sees Barcelona ranked third in the world.

The report highlights the fact that the capital of Catalonia, which welcomes 14 million tourists per year, has applied strict rules on vacation rentals to control the effects of runaway tourism. Tourists also find a more lovable city, thanks to over 150 kilometres of new bicycle lanes and Green Hubs, as well as a network of quieter streets that share space equally among cars, bicycles and pedestrians and include benches and squares so that locals and visitors alike can enjoy a healthier urban environment.

Barcelona also has a number of digital nomads that is increasing every year. In 2023, 30% of them are now foreign nationals. Foreign investment in the city continues to rise. Two examples are the opening of the first southern European digital hub by Lufthansa, the largest airline group in Europe, and the $300 million investment by the US real-estate developer Panattoni to build the largest data centre in Catalonia.

Figures and opinions

Resonance’s ranking uses a unique methodology that mixes statistics with user-generated information through opinions on TripAdvisor, as well as Instagram hashtags and Facebook check-ins. This provides it with a 360-degree picture of each city, resulting in an analysis of its global brand. To create the ranking, up to 25 indicators in six main categories are analysed:

• Location, which considers the natural setting, monuments, parks, surroundings, climate (number of days of sunlight), safety, etc.
• Product, which assesses the city’s infrastructures, air links, museums, universities, convention centres, etc.
• People, which is a snapshot of the city’s population diversity, based on indicators like the percentage of residents born abroad and citizens’ educational level.
• Prosperity, to assess the city’s wealth, Resonance takes into account different indicators, such as the number of large fortunes, per capita GDP and, this year, the Gini index, which assesses the distribution of wealth among the population and the unemployment rate.
• Programming, which includes factors based on user opinions collected from TripAdvisor, such as the number of recommended cultural events, nightlife and dining and shopping options.
• Promotion, which closes The World’s Best Cities ranking by assessing the city’s promotion and its ability to craft its own narrative, especially online. Google searches, Instagram hashtags and the number of opinions shared on TripAdvisor are just some of the factors included in this category.

London remains the world’s number one city

This is the ninth ranking of The World’s Best Cities, and just like in previous years, London is considered the best city in the world. The British capital still stands out over the other cities, despite the post-pandemic period, the economic crisis and Brexit.

According to the analysis, it is the city with the best cultural assets and ranks first in educational success. It also leads the overall liveability and lovability indices and is at the top of all the global cities in the subcategories of Instagram hashtags, Facebook check-ins and TripAdvisor opinions. The report stresses that the city has almost gone back to its pre-pandemic capacity. Regarding mobility, it has added new Tube stops, and in 2025 it is going to open the Camden Highline greenway.