Big tech spenders: the cities that contribute most to tech
A new index by Business Fibre has analysed 34 of the world’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) capital cities to find 2020’s best cities to be a tech student. The index has analysed each city according to metrics such as the number of universities offering technology and engineering courses, total tech companies and employees in each city, the monthly living cost and the top cities investing in tech-related research. An infographic is available here.
Exploring technology research spend, the study also finds the top cities that are consistently investing in technology research. This has been calculated by looking at the percentage of the total GDP spent on research.
The highest ranking city is Jerusalem, which ranks high across all metrics and is the third best city for tech students overall. The top three cities for tech-related research also include Seoul, spending 4.3% of the GDP, followed by Bern at 3.4%. All three cities also rank high for the best universities and overall top cities for tech students.
The top 10 cities to be a tech student
To find the world’s top cities to study technology, each city has been ranked according to a series of metrics to find the overall winners for those looking to start their career in technology.
The metrics explored include budget spent on tech-related research, the number of people employed in professional, scientific and technical sectors, tech companies, monthly living costs as well as the number of top universities offering technology and engineering courses. The top 10 can be seen below.
- London, UK
- Berlin, Germany
- Jerusalem, Israel
- Bern, Switzerland
- Seoul, Korea
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Paris, France
- Canberra, Australia
- Rome, Italy
- Tokyo, Japan
Top 10 universities to study technology worldwide
Based on the top 10 cities to be a tech student, the best universities in each city have also been ranked for aspiring students. To find the best universities BusinessFibre looked at metrics such as the total number of students, faculty staff and the number of international students. This alongside each university’s global subject ranking for engineering and technology make up the top 10 tech universities in the world. The monthly cost of living has also been included so that students can be sure they are studying at the best overall tech university.
BusinessFibre’s Ian Wright commented: “With technology arguably being the fastest growing and most profitable industry in the world, we wanted to find the best cities in the world to be a tech student as well as the top cities funding technology-related research.
“It’s clear from the research that London, Berlin and Jerusalem are the best cities for students, while Seoul and Bern join Jerusalem at the top for investing in technology-related research. For those who don’t want to spend a tonne of money on their education, Seoul National University is a great option that offers a lower living cost while still having a good global university ranking.”
