Foreign investment in Catalonia hits record high, surpassing €1 billion

Foreign investment in Catalonia in 2024 reached record levels, exceeding €1 billion, with an employment impact of over 8,000 jobs, both newly created and retained. The Catalan Government, through ACCIÓ, the Agency for Business Competitiveness under the Catalan Ministry of Business and Labour, recently announced that €1.051 billion of foreign investment had been attracted, up 19% from the previous year and the highest figure ever recorded.

This figure corresponds to 106 investment projects by foreign companies, which led to the creation of nearly 5,000 new jobs — up 10% from 2023 — and the retention of over 3,200 more jobs. Altogether, the total number of jobs created and retained is the highest on record and represents a 44% increase over last year. Notably, more than half the total projects attracted are directly linked to the digital and green transitions.

It is worth noting that 64% of the foreign investment attracted was industrial and technological. Specifically, 37% of the projects are in the manufacturing industry and 27% in the technology arena. In terms of sectors, ICT and electronics stand out (22% of the total), followed by automotive (14%), chemicals (11%), food (7%) and video games (7%). As for the origin of the investments, most projects came from Germany (11%), United States (9%), France (9%) and China (7%).

Through ACCIÓ–Catalonia Trade & Investment, foreign companies receive guidance to make it easier for new multinationals to invest in Catalonia. In this regard, a total of €3.641 billion has been invested over the past five years, with nearly 28,000 jobs created and retained in this period thanks to multinational investments in Catalonia, up 9% from the previous five-year period.