Edinburgh has been rated the top “cultural and creative city” of its size in Europe in a major new study which explored 30 different countries.

The Scottish capital was ranked alongside Paris and Copenhagen, which topped the categories for bigger populations, in the European Commission findings.

Researchers took the “cultural pulse” of 168 cities across Europe, examined how much the creative industries contributed to each economy and explored their efforts to attract talent and encourage participation in the arts.

Key factors taken into account included the range of arts venues, historic attractions and landmarks, the number of overnight stays recorded, and attendance at theatres, concerts and cinemas. The number of jobs in arts, culture, media and communications were considered, along with university rankings and the number of university graduates in subjects like arts and humanities.