Which city is the ultimate global street art capital?
Despite the controversy surrounding graffiti as an art form, street artists' work has been admired for decades. Street art has many different forms/ styles, from colourful and vibrant murals to powerful political statements.
The elusive Banksy has made a name for himself in the world of street art. Through his satirical yet poignant pieces, he has brought a new stance and mindset to the street art community. If you want to immerse yourself in the urban art scene, you are in the right place.
By analysing data from social media sites like Instagram and TikTok, scouring Google searches from the last year, and noting the number of street artworks in some of the world's street art hubs, the team at Slingo has revealed the best cities for graffiti lovers.
The team has also unveiled all you need to know about Banksy’s most popular pieces worldwide, including his most popular mural destinations and the cities journalists talk about most.
London is revealed as the world’s street art capital
|
Instagram posts |
TikTok posts |
Global Google searches (Feb 2024-Jan 2025) | |||||||||||
|
Rank |
City |
Country |
Continent |
Number of street artworks |
Graffiti |
Street art |
Graffiti |
Street art |
Graffiti |
Graffiti tour |
Street art |
Street art tour |
Overall score /10 |
|
1 |
London |
United Kingdom |
Europe |
472 |
639,000 |
608,000 |
3,764 |
1,857 |
15,300 |
4,230 |
42,200 |
7,440 |
9.50 |
|
2 |
Paris |
France |
Europe |
1,065 |
191,000 |
595,000 |
570 |
1,230 |
8,130 |
570 |
60,200 |
4,830 |
8.93 |
|
3 |
Melbourne |
Australia |
Australia |
2,837 |
16,600 |
135,000 |
962 |
729 |
13,800 |
13,080 |
34,200 |
13,080 |
8.80 |
|
4 |
Berlin |
Germany |
Europe |
703 |
322,000 |
3,103 |
1,697 |
1,010 |
40,100 |
2,130 |
58,800 |
9,180 |
8.53 |
|
5 |
Los Angeles |
United States |
North America |
2,277 |
367,000 |
105,000 |
3,064 |
174 |
22,100 |
1,480 |
9,140 |
810 |
8.41 |
|
6 |
Barcelona |
Spain |
Europe |
309 |
64,700 |
227,000 |
346 |
358 |
7,400 |
790 |
25,100 |
2,340 |
8.12 |
|
7 |
Bristol |
United Kingdom |
Europe |
254 |
119,000 |
104,000 |
224 |
185 |
11,040 |
1,430 |
18,300 |
3,440 |
7.87 |
|
8 |
Amsterdam |
The Netherlands |
Europe |
237 |
64,500 |
79,800 |
328 |
257 |
5,460 |
440 |
35,800 |
1,540 |
7.53 |
|
9 |
Lisbon |
Portugal |
Europe |
749 |
12,500 |
77,200 |
214 |
110 |
5,620 |
1,140 |
24,800 |
5,610 |
7.44 |
|
10 |
Chicago |
United States |
North America |
82 |
264,000 |
93,900 |
1,719 |
575 |
8,990 |
530 |
8,640 |
1,350 |
7.42 |
1. London, United Kingdom - 9.50 /10 overall score
Whether on alleyways, city walls, or abandoned buildings, graffiti in London represents so much more than random pops of colour. Many of the 472 street artworks across this city depict thought-provoking messages about society, hoping to enlighten tourists and the local public alike.
Camden and Shoreditch are some of London's most recognised street art spots, but graffiti pieces have made their mark all over the city. Brick Lane in Greater London and Lambeth's Leake Street tunnel are must-see destinationsfor art and culture. Many social media users in London have been inspired by urban art, with 639,000 Instagram and 3,764 TikTok posts using #londongraffiti.These are just some reasons why the UK's capital leads the way in terms of graffiti and street art posts across both Instagram and TikTok.
2. Paris, France - 8.93 /10 overall score
Next on this list is Paris, with an overall score of 8.93 /10. Paris may not be the first place you think of when it comes to graffiti, but this French city has plenty of street art to admire. Home to Alexandra Arango’s animal depictions, Street Art Avenue in Saint-Denis is a great place to start if you want to explore works in this city.
However, it doesn’t stop there, as Paris has many street art styles. Whether you are a fan of the classic ‘tag’ style graffiti on Rue Dénoyez or more contemporary art like “Chuuuttt!” in the Beaubourg district, Paris has it all. Even on rainy days, you can admire Paris’ street art, with Art42’s urban museum showcasing hundreds of works to celebrate this art form.
3. Melbourne, Australia - 8.80 /10 overall score
Despite Melbourne not having the highest number of dedicated graffiti and street art posts compared to the other cities in this top three, no other destination on this ranking has more Google searches than the Australian city regarding street art tours in the area.
Being guided through the streets of Melbourne on a tour of all things graffiti and street art will allow you to discover some of the city’s hidden treasures. In addition, you can grasp the meanings behind some of Melbourne’s most famous artworks, like Steen Jones’ stunning tribute to this destination.
The World of Banksy
After rising to fame in the late 1990s, Banksy has produced hundreds of thought-provoking artworks that challenge societal norms. From the self-destroyed painting "Love is in the Bin" to the world-famous "Girl With Red Balloon", you can find Banksy's art worldwide, but which cities are the most synonymous with his work?
His mysterious identity means nobody is 100% certain about the number of pieces in his collection. Still, we have collated some of his murals worldwide to reveal which areas you should visit as a Banksy fan.
The UK is home to more Banksy murals than any other country
|
Rank |
Country |
Number of Banksy murals |
|
1 |
United Kingdom |
51 |
|
2 |
United States |
9 |
|
3 |
Canada |
1 |
|
3 |
Australia |
1 |
|
3 |
France |
1 |
|
3 |
Italy |
1 |
1. United Kingdom - 51 Banksy murals
Most of Banksy’s most famous pieces reside in the United Kingdom, and you will find more Banksy murals here than anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, some of his most talked-about works, like the poignant “Anti-Brexit” piece in Dover, have been demolished due to concerns about the building’s safety.
Having said that, plenty of world-famous Banksy murals are still visible in the UK. One of the most iconic, “Bomb Love”, which denotes a young girl lovingly hugging a bomb, has been found in Bristol, London, and Brighton over the years.
2. United States - 9 Banksy murals
From “Child with Kite Fridge” in Louisiana to “Swing Girl” in California, Banksy murals can be found all across the United States. Of all his work in the US, one of the most recent murals is “Hammer Boy,” which depicts a silhouette of a young boy striking an actual fire hydrant in New York City. This symbol of youth rebellion has since been protected on the streets to reduce its chances of being vandalised.
3. Canada, Australia, France, Italy - 1 Banksy mural
Canada, Australia, France, and Italy are home to Banksy's works. Murals in these countries may be few and far between, but their political messages are just as poignant. The 2015 "Son of a Migrant from Syria" in Calais, France, and Venice's "Migrant Child" in Italy both highlight the world's refugee crisis.
"Security Guard with Koon Dog" can still be seen behind Ontario's police headquarters in Canada, poking fun at the authorities. However, the biggest crime here was a disastrous accident, as the original "Parachuting Rat" mural in Melbourne, Australia, was destroyed after a local builder drilled through the Banksy artwork to fit a bathroom pipe.
Of all countries worldwide, Banksy fans are most curious about his activity in London
|
Rank |
Location |
Global Google searches (Feb 2024-Jan 2025) |
|
1 |
London |
316,000 |
|
2 |
Melbourne |
137,500 |
|
3 |
New York City |
60,000 |
|
4 |
Bristol |
29,000 |
|
5 |
New Orleans |
19,300 |
|
6 |
Park City |
17,900 |
|
7 |
Brighton |
13,760 |
|
8 |
Birmingham |
13,440 |
|
9 |
Los Angeles |
8,640 |
|
10 |
San Francisco |
6,370 |
1. London - 316,000 global Google searches
As the alleged home of Banksy, it may be unsurprising that London is the most Googled destination when it comes to his work. Over 310,000 people have been searching for “London Banksy” in the last year alone.
Some of Banksy’s most recent artwork can be found in the UK’s capital. Last year, the street art king installed a series of cleverly designed animal-themed murals across London, with a new one appearing every day for nine days.
2. Melbourne - 137,500 global Google searches
Melbourne is revealed as the second-most searched-for destination regarding Banksy. In June of last year, an art exhibition entitled “Without Limits” opened in the city to honour hundreds of pieces of Banksy’s work. With no Banksy murals visible in Melbourne anymore, this art museum is likely why “Melbourne Banksy” has seen more than 137,000 Google searches in the last year.
3. New York City - 60,000 global Google searches
Completing this top three is New York City, with 60,000 global Google searches relating to Banksy over the last twelve months. You can see some of Banksy’s original works in and around NYC, such as “The Street Is in Play,” which cleverly contradicts graffiti and street art opinions by incorporating a ‘graffiti is a crime’ sign within its design. Located on Canal Street is the Banksy Museum, home to the largest collection of life-size Banksy murals.
Banksy’s work in London has attracted more attention than any other country in the world
|
Rank |
Location |
Number of Buzzsumo articles |
|
1 |
London |
1,674 |
|
2 |
Bristol |
102 |
|
3 |
New York |
50 |
|
4 |
Birmingham |
22 |
|
5 |
Melbourne |
10 |
|
6 |
New Orleans |
7 |
|
7 |
Reading |
6 |
|
7 |
Venice |
6 |
|
7 |
Kent |
6 |
|
7 |
Ontario |
6 |
|
7 |
Park City |
6 |
1. London - 1,674 Banksy articles
After being revealed as the most Googled city for Banksy, it is no surprise that many articles surround the street artist in London. Whether they promote new works in the area or discuss the meaning behind his murals, the 1,674 articles about Banksy in London show no signs of slowing down.
2. Bristol - 102 Banksy articles
Bristol is a historic destination for Banksy. It is home to what is regarded as his first large mural, “The Mild Mild West,” which depicts a bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at three policemen. Of the recent articles for Banksy in Bristol, there has been lots of coverage about the iconic “Well Hung Lover” work, which is said to be up for auction this year.
3. New York - 50 Banksy articles
New York has been featured in the Banksy spotlight over recent years, most notably in 2014, when his residency in the area was documented and produced as a film. This is just one of the reasons why journalists would be interested in writing an article about Banksy in New York.
Methodology
Data is accurate as of 14/02/2025.
Best overall cities for graffiti/ street art:
We used a series of listicles, including Bombing Science and Gap360, to create a seeding list of cities famous for street art and graffiti.
We used Street Art Cities to find the number of street artworks in each city.
We used Instagram to find the number of posts for #[city]graffiti and #[city]streetart.
We used TikTok to find the number of posts for #[city]graffiti and #[city]streetart.
We used Google Ads Keyword Planner to find the total number of global Google searches for the following terms between February 2024 and January 2025:
- [city] graffiti
- [city] graffiti tour
- [city] street art
- [city] street art tour
The following graffiti-related factors are used: the number of street artworks, the number of graffiti and street art Instagram posts, the number of graffiti and street art posts on TikTok, and global Google searches. We normalised each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to give each city an overall score.
Most popular Banksy locations:
We used several web sources, including My Art Broker and Wikipedia, to list Banksy murals worldwide, noting their city/state and country. We removed any murals from Ukraine, Palestine, Mali, and Israel.
We used Google Ads Keyword Planner to find the total number of Google searches for “[city] Banksy” between February 2024 and January 2025.
We used Buzzsumo to find the number of articles for “[city] Banksy”
