Barcelona’s universities and public research centres generated €10.6 billion in GDP for the Barcelona Metropolitan Region in 2023, according to a new study commissioned by Barcelona City Council and carried out by the University of Barcelona (UB).
The report is the first of its kind to measure the economic impact of university and research activity in the area. It estimates total turnover at €16.249 billion, or an average of €44.6 million a day. The sector accounted for 3.6% of Catalonia’s GDP and 4.1% of the metropolitan region’s GDP.
Barcelona deputy mayor for economy, housing, treasury and tourism, Jordi Valls, presented the findings with the study’s authors, Jordi Suriñach, Esther Vayá and Joaquim Murillo. Valls said the main value of the work is that it provides the first quantification of the economic impact of universities and public research in the Barcelona area, and that it will help monitor the City Council’s Science and Innovation Plan.
The study also found that the sector generated €5.5753 billion in salaries. It said activities linked to universities and research centres created or maintained 147,826 full-time equivalent jobs, equal to 5% of employment in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region and 4.0% of employment in Catalonia.
According to the report, the impact covers universities, other training centres, specialised R&D&I centres, and related business activity such as concessions, spin-offs and start-ups. It also includes spending by students and visitors. The study says indirect and induced effects, linked to demand for goods and services and worker spending, more than double the direct impact, with multipliers between 1.9 and 2.3.
Barcelona plans to continue strengthening the ecosystem through the Strategic Plan for Science and Innovation, the Barcelona Impulsa Plan and the Ciutadella del Coneixement. For readers following local policy and economic development, see our news coverage and the City Council’s own material on science and innovation at Ajuntament de Barcelona and the University of Barcelona at ub.edu.
