Edinburgh vs Stockholm

Stockholm leads Edinburgh by 3 points on the CIRA Index, 85 to 82. Edinburgh grades better on 7 measures, Stockholm on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Edinburgh 82, Stockholm 85
• OECD: Edinburgh 81, Stockholm 82
• UN Tourism: Edinburgh 86, Stockholm 84
• UNDRR: Edinburgh 69, Stockholm 75

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Edinburgh 85, Stockholm 81
• Economy and jobs: Edinburgh 88, Stockholm 83
• Climate and hazards: Edinburgh 70, Stockholm 85
• Water and environment: Edinburgh 88, Stockholm 94
• Community and housing: Edinburgh 75, Stockholm 88
• Access and continuity: Edinburgh 79, Stockholm 67

Where Edinburgh is stronger

• Nights in the three busiest months: 28.3 % of annual nights (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: UN Tourism by United Nations World Tourism Organization), 2023, 2024 moving average). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 84.2 % average annual occupancy (CoStar / VisitScotland, 2024). At or above 75: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 3.3 % of the labour force (Office for National Statistics via Nomis, Labour Market Profile - City of Edinburgh, Apr 2023–Mar 2024). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 97.2 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Global SDG Database / WHO / UN-Water, Indicator 6.3.1 Proportion of safely treated domestic wastewater flows, 2022). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 1.6 % change in rents over the last 12 months (region figure) (Office for National Statistics, Housing prices in Edinburgh / Price Index of Private Rents, 12 months to August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (City of Edinburgh Council, Coalition Commitments Progress Update, 2022–2026). Grade 2/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (City of Edinburgh Council, How we're investing the Edinburgh Visitor Levy, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Stockholm is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 55.7 % of nights by residents of the same country (Visitory / Tillväxtverket, Nordic Tourism in 2024, 2024). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Jobs in tourism industries: 3.8 % of employment in accommodation and food services (country figure) (World Economic Forum, TTDI 2026 (data: Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Research by World Travel & Tourism Council; Travel & Tourism by World Travel & Tourism Council), 2026). At or below 8: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 321 kg per resident per year (Miljöbarometern (Stockholms stad / Sekom via Avfall Sverige), 2025). At or below 350: grade 4/4.
• Tourism intensity: 9.7 visitor nights per resident per year (Visitory / Tillväxtverket & Statistics Sweden (SCB), 2024). Between 5 and 10: grade 3/4.
• Short-let density: 0.2 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (region figure) (AirDNA & Länsstyrelsen i Stockholm (SCB), August 2026). At or below 0.5: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• United Kingdom: #7 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Sweden: #18 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Edinburgh in full · Stockholm in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot