GSMA MWC26 Barcelona delivers €588 million in economic impact

9 June 2026, London – MWC26 Barcelona generated an estimated €588 million for the Barcelona economy (up from €561 million in 2025) and created 14,000 part-time jobs, according to a newly released economic impact report commissioned by the GSMA. With 2026 representing the 20th anniversary of MWC in Barcelona, the results reflect two transformative decades of digital innovation and rich partnership in the city. 

Since its first edition in Barcelona in 2006, MWC has generated a total economic contribution of €7.5 billion and created 187,000 part-time jobs, demonstrating the city’s position as one of Europe’s leading technology and innovation hubs. This year’s edition welcomed nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories to Barcelona, across four days that brought together the brilliant people and bold ideas shaping the future of global connectivity. 

MWC26 Barcelona in numbers: 

• €588 million in economic contribution (up from €561 million in 2025), and 14,016 part-time jobs created (up from 13,000 in 2025) 
• Nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories 
• 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners 
• Over 1,700 speakers and thought leaders, including 40% C-level speakers and 35% female speakers 
• The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened 188 delegations, 45 intergovernmental organisations, 54 ministers and 118 heads of regulatory authorities 
• 58% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem 
• 17% C-suite attendees; 45% director level and above; 27% female attendees 
• Nearly 2,600 journalists and industry analysts from around the world 
• 4YFN welcomed over 300 speakers and 1,000 exhibitors from leading corporations and exciting start-ups, alongside hundreds of investors with collective funds totalling €70 billion 
• Separately, Talent Arena, organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and co-located with MWC26 at Fira Montjuïc, welcomed over 25,000 attendees.

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., said: “Twenty years ago, MWC came to Barcelona with an exciting vision: to bring the world together around connectivity and what it can achieve for industry and society. Two decades on, that vision has grown into something neither we nor the city could have imagined. The scale of what we’ve built, from the global community and wonderful people of Barcelona to the city itself, is truly special. I want to personally thank our partners in Barcelona and the Catalan government for the warmth and commitment they bring to this partnership year after year. MWC belongs to all of us, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we continue to achieve together.” 

A year-round public-private partnership  

The partnerships, programmes and investment that have grown over the two decades of MWC in Barcelona have also played a defining role in transforming the city into one of the world’s most vibrant and innovative technology centres in the world. 

mSchools, run in partnership with Mobile World Capital, the Catalan Department of Education and the City Council of Barcelona, brings together teachers, researchers and policymakers from around the world with a shared commitment to putting digital skills at the heart of education. The public-private partnership has seen the programme reach 530,000 students, 18,600 teachers and over 3,500 schools. 

Meanwhile, the MWC Donation Room, an annual initiative delivered through collaboration between the GSMA, Barcelona City Council and L’Hospitalet City Council, with the support of the Barcelona Tourism Consortium and Formació i Treball, recovered nine tonnes of materials and furniture from this year’s MWC, redistributing them to 35 beneficiary organisations across both cities for use in social, cultural and community projects. Their reuse will prevent an estimated emission of 8,873 kilograms of CO₂. 

Report methodology 

The economic impact of MWC is calculated through a comprehensive model, validated by independent experts, that accounts for direct, indirect, and induced contributions. The numbers were built using independent ex-post assessment of MWC26 Barcelona, modelled on observed event data using the IDESCAT input-output framework. These include visitor spending, job creation, and increased government revenue.   

-ENDS- 

About GSMA  

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts  

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