About Catalonia Trade & Investment

Catalonia Trade & Investment attracts over €1B in 2024, the highest figure on record

Catalonia Trade & Investment breaks records with over €1B in foreign investment attracted in 2024. This is +19% more than the previous year and the highest figure on record, dating back to 1985.

In total, during 2024, 106 investment projects of foreign companies were executed, creating 4,984 jobs, 10% more than in 2023, and maintaining 3,245 more jobs. The total number of jobs created and maintained reached 8,229, the highest figure in the historical series so far. Combining these two aspects represents an increase of 44% compared to 2023. In addition, the number of projects covered exceeded 100 for the second time.

If we look at this balance over a broader timescale to avoid the volatile effect of foreign investments, the volume attracted by Catalonia Trade & Investment over the last five years (2020-2024) has been over 3,641 million euros, more than double (128% more) than in the previous five-year period (2015-2019).  In these last five years, almost 28,000 jobs have been created and maintained (27,990) thanks to the investments of multinationals in Catalonia, 9% more than in the previous five-year period.

Breakdown of foreign investment

In 2024, 64% of the foreign investment attracted by the Government of Catalonia was industrial and technological. Specifically, 37% of projects were in the manufacturing industry, while 27% fell within the technology sector. By industry, the most significant sectors were ICT and electronics (22% of total investment) followed by automotive (14%), the chemical sector (11%), the food industry (7%), and video games (7%).

Furthermore, over half of all investment projects (52%) were directly linked to digital and green transitions, generating and maintaining over 4,000 jobs, representing 50% of the total employment impact.

As regards the origin of the investments, for the second consecutive year, they originated from over 30 different countries, demonstrating the region’s ability to diversify its sources of new projects. The leading investor countries in 2024 were Germany (11% of total projects), United States (9%), France (9%), and China (7%).

Of the 106 foreign investment projects completed in 2024, 34% were greenfield investments, meaning the companies had no prior presence in Catalonia. The remaining 66% were expansions or new investments by companies already established in the region. This combination highlights both Catalonia’s ability to attract new investors and the confidence that multinational companies already operating in Catalonia have in the region.