Bike Theft Report Barcelona 2023

This report contains a descriptive quantitative analysis of reported bike thefts in the city of Barcelona in 2023, based on a dataset provided by the local police (Mossos d’Esquadra). Since many people do not report bike thefts to the police, this data most likely understates the actual extent of bike theft in the city. Nevertheless, analysing official data provides some first insights into the issue. We have analysed the total amount of reported thefts over the last three years according to their spatial distribution within the city, type of location, and seasonal and daily distribution.
In 2023, bike theft increased compared to the past two years, reaching a total of 1.167 reports. Furthermore, bike theft in Barcelona was unevenly spatially distributed, with prominent clusters in the districts of Sant Martí, Ciutat Vella and Eixample, particularly in the neighbourhoods of el Raval, la Dreta de l’Eixample, and Diagonal Mar i el Front Marítim del Poblenou. Most bicycles were reported as stolen in January and October, with time peaks at midnight and 10 pm. Most thefts happened on public streets.