25 May 2026
Image: COTEC
- The new index provides an in-depth analysis of the sophistication and diversity of employment across nearly 4,000 municipalities in the region
- Bilbao, San Sebastián and Getxo rank among the 20 municipalities with the most complex economic structures
- The tool, developed by Orkestra and Cotec, enables the identification of opportunities for economic diversification and helps guide public policies on local development
The Cotec Foundation and Orkestra presented the first Local Economic Complexity Index today in Madrid. This new tool allows municipalities' productive capacities to be analysed based on employment data.
For the first time, the index provides an in-depth analysis of the sophistication and diversity of nearly 4,000 Spanish municipalities' economic fabrics. It does this by analysing Social Security registration data and measuring the extent to which the economic activities present in each locality require advanced skills and knowledge.
The project aims to help identify the productive strengths of each region, guide public policies on local development, and pinpoint opportunities for diversification.
Several Basque towns stand out among the municipalities with the highest complexity index, reflecting the strength and balance of the advanced capabilities present in the Basque Country.
What is economic complexity?
Traditionally, economic complexity is measured by analysing a country's basket of goods exports to determine the level of knowledge and capabilities accumulated within its economy. During the event, Ignacio Gordo (Head of Economic Analysis and Projects in Cotec’s Economics Department) explained that a region is considered more complex when it can produce a greater variety of products that are less 'ubiquitous', meaning they are uncommon or difficult for others to replicate.
As export data is not available below provincial level, Orkestra collaborated with Cotec to develop a methodology extending the original Economic Complexity Map framework to municipal level using Social Security registration data.
As Asier Murciego, Orkestra's Senior Data Engineer, has pointed out, 'Using employment data provides a complementary perspective to exports, as it allows all economic activities to be included, not just those in the goods industry. This highlights the importance of services.'
A tool to guide local development
The study confirms that municipalities with higher levels of economic complexity tend to have higher incomes, thereby reinforcing the link between economic sophistication and wellbeing.
Another notable feature of the new index is the “complexity gradient”, which is an indicator that helps to identify the economic activities most likely to develop in a given municipality based on its current capabilities. The interactive tool therefore provides useful information for designing economic development strategies and public policies tailored to the specific circumstances of each region, as highlighted by Susana Franco, research director at Orkestra.
Asier Murciego and Susana Franco from Orkestra with the Cotec team during the launch event in Las Rozas, Madrid
Three Basque municipalities feature in the top 20 of the municipal economic complexity ranking
Madrid and Barcelona top this ranking, but three Basque cities also stand out: Bilbao (6th), San Sebastián (9th), and Getxo (15th). These results reflect the strength and balance of the advanced capabilities present in the Basque Country.
- Bilbao's complexity is evident in its specialisation in advanced services such as advertising, insurance and financial services, as well as maritime transport, film, video and television programme production, and sound recording and music publishing.
- San Sebastián also shows specialisation in advanced services that contribute to its complexity, particularly research and development activities, as well as cultural activities.
- Finally, Getxo's complexity stems from activities linked to maritime transport, technical architectural services and sports, recreation and entertainment, among others.
The detailed results of the report are now available on the interactive platform hosted on the Cotec website. These results allow users to navigate the data for the nearly 4,000 municipalities and the 86 sectors analysed in a personalised manner.
Update to Spain's Economic Complexity Map
During the event, Cotec presented an update to the Map of Spain’s Economic Complexity, which was compiled using export data.
The results once again place the Basque Country as the autonomous community with the most sophisticated economic structure in Spain, as reflected by the diversity and complexity of its exports. At provincial level, Gipuzkoa tops the ranking, followed by Araba and Bizkaia.
The analysis reveals that Gipuzkoa specialises in transport and metal-related activities, exporting advanced products linked to mechanical engineering, such as rail transport systems, fishing vessels, drilling machinery, and metal finishing machinery.
