Foreign investment in Catalonia up 27% in Q3 to €1.22bn

For first nine months of the year, foreign investment is down almost 25%

Office buildings in Barcelona's 22@ district, where many foreign companies are based
Office buildings in Barcelona's 22@ district, where many foreign companies are based / Jordi Bataller
ACN

ACN | @agenciaacn | Barcelona

December 20, 2023 11:48 AM

January 18, 2024 02:20 PM

Foreign investment in Catalonia in the third quarter of 2023 was €1.22 billion, up 27% on the same period last year when the figure was €954 million. 

Between January and September, however, foreign investment in Catalonia was €2.09 billion, down 24.6% on 2023, according to data published on Wednesday by Spain's Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. 

The Q3 figures for 2023 are the highest for this period since 2018 (€2.13 billion) but remain far below the highs seen in years such as 2016 (€5.12 billion).  

The cumulative figure from January to September is the lowest since 2014, when it stood at €1.09 billion, excluding the years most affected by the pandemic, 2020 and 2021. 

In 2016, for example, foreign investment for the same period reached €6.49 billion. 

The total foreign investment across the whole of Spain was €18.30 billion from January to September, 23.3% less than the same period last year.