Foreign investment in Catalonia up 65% to nearly 3.5 billion

Foreign investment in Catalonia through the third quarter of 2024 was €3.453 billion according to data from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business. These are the latest official figures, showing a 65% increase over the same period the previous year. The data for all of 2024 will be made public this quarter.

In Spain as a whole, foreign investment through September was also up, although not as much. The figure was €23.607 billion, up 21.7% from the January-September figure for 2023. In this regard, it is worth noting that the Spanish government’s statistics count foreign investment in the region where companies have their business headquarters, regardless of where the funds are actually invested. This causes a capital effect, with more investment attributed to Madrid than other regions.

In Catalonia, the majority of foreign capital investment in the first nine months of the year was in Barcelona, with 90% or €3.191 billion. Girona secured €183 million; Tarragona, €66 million and Lleida, €11 million.

Catalonia is a magnet for foreign direct investment, which generates many jobs and fuels innovation and competitiveness in the country, contributing new technology, knowledge and expertise.