Lisbon is the only Portuguese city to appear in the Copenhagenize Index 2025 - EIT Urban Mobility Edition, which assesses and ranks the most bike-friendly cities in the world, and analysed 100 cities from 44 countries, selected for their focus on cycling and growth in bicycle use.

The city of Utrecht occupies first place this year, noting in the report, released this week, that it “is at the heart of Dutch excellence in cycling, as a compact, human-sized city that has proven that a huge impact can be attributed to smart urban strategies”.

“With almost a third of all trips made by bicycle, Utrecht demonstrates what can happen when cycling is fully integrated into urban planning: a city built on flow, precision and purpose, with cycling as a central element,” it said.

The top 5 European cities also include Copenhagen, Ghent, Amsterdam and Paris, which lead “thanks to infrastructure networks, inclusive policies and the promotion of cycling as a social norm”.

European cities dominate the ranking due to their “political commitment and mature cycling networks”, and those in Latin America are moving towards “structured strategies”, while cities in Africa and Asia/Oceania “face challenges but show potential”, according to the report.

The study also highlights “transformative initiatives” in cities such as Fortaleza, Brazil, Nairobi, Kenya, and Osaka, Japan, which have demonstrated how cycling can be a tool “to improve mobility, social inclusion and sustainability”.

The index not only ranks cities but also aims to act as a learning and diagnostic tool to promote cycling mobility.

The leading cities have demonstrated that investment in infrastructure, inclusive policies, and data are essential to transforming urban mobility and improving quality of life.

The index seeks, as a diagnostic tool, to boost active mobility as a fundamental pillar for urban sustainability.

In May 2024, Anacoreta Correia, then vice-president of the city council responsible for mobility, announced an investment of 13 million euros to increase Lisbon's cycling network by 90 kilometres by the end of 2025.

According to the municipal cycling plan presented at the time, the capital would go from a cycling network of 173 kilometres to a total of 263.

Currently, and according to a city council source, the city has 253 kilometres of cycling network, with the expectation that "the number will increase even further by the end of the year".