Catalonia is home to 9,602 foreign companies, a record high and a 68% increase over the past decade

The President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, announced today that there are now 9,602 foreign companies established in Catalonia (as of 2024), a 68% increase compared to 10 years ago. These figures come from the study "Directory of Foreign Company Subsidiaries in Catalonia 2024 (.PDF document)", conducted by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business competitiveness belonging to the Ministry for Business and Labour.

“Catalonia is the place to develop successful projects with global impact and significance”

Salvador Illa, President of the Government of Catalonia

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Illa presented these figures at the event "Passeu’24: Catalonia, your home for business and technology", organized by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment. The event took place at the Hospitality section set up by the Government of Catalonia at CN Barcelona during the recent America's Cup sailing competition. It featured 150 executives from established companies like Sony AI, Henkel, Roche Diagnostics, and Airbus Geo Tech, who explained their reasons for investing in Catalonia. The event also included the Minister for Business and Labour, Miquel Sàmper, and ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment’s CEO, Jaume Baró. The meeting helped to promote Catalonia’s role as a leading European region in terms of foreign investment and the strategic importance of multinational investment in Catalonia, as well as offering a space for networking between the attending executives.

In the words of the President of Catalonia, "Each investment and every new project helps us send the message to the world that Catalonia is the place to develop successful projects with global impact and significance". For Salvador Illa, foreign investment is "a source of wealth and opportunity that directly benefits Catalan society through more and higher-quality jobs". He also noted that "for over 35 years, ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment's work in attracting projects has remained constant, regardless of changes in government", calling it "a great national consensus we will continue to foster and promote".

In this regard, Minister Sàmper announced that the Government, through ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, is currently managing a portfolio of over 500 foreign company projects with potential investment in Catalonia, nearly half of which are linked to green and digital transformations. He emphasized, "Attracting foreign investment is a discreet, meticulous task that requires persistent effort". Sàmper also went on to say, “We are confident that Catalonia will continue to attract high-value projects with real transformative impact, boosting the economy, production networks, and society by creating new opportunities in cutting-edge, future-oriented sectors”.

Experiences from Foreign Companies in Catalonia

The event featured a roundtable with representatives from four foreign companies established in Catalonia – Sony AI, Roche, Airbus, and Henkel. Access to talent, robust infrastructure, creativity, and economic stability were among the key assets of Catalonia highlighted during the discussion.

Roser Roca, Managing Director & CEO of Airbus DS GEO Spain, described how the company discovered a “diverse ecosystem of local partners in Catalonia”, enabling them to connect “risk-taking founders, research institutions, and industry suppliers”.

Artur Palet, Commercial Innovation Lead for EMEA & LatAm at Roche Diagnostics, emphasized Catalonia’s “unique ecosystem of clinical and medical institutions, key infrastructures like the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, startup incubators, and a strong presence of both local and multinational companies”. He added, “Barcelona is internationally recognized as a global biotech hub; there is local talent, and it’s easy to attract international talent as well”.

Analysis of Foreign Companies Based in Catalonia

The study presented at the event highlights the sustained growth of foreign multinationals choosing to establish themselves in Catalonia, with around 350 new subsidiaries created in the past year. One in four companies has set up in the region within the last five years, with tech sector firms now representing 20% of the total, up from 13% in 2018. Notable 2024 investments include companies like SEAT, AstraZeneca, Chery, Nestlé, Sony AI, Paulig, K-Line, Elis, and Open Cosmos, among others, either as new entries or expansions in the region.

Regarding the countries of origin, the study highlights the presence of multinationals from the United States (15% of the total), France (14%), Germany (12%), the United Kingdom (10%), and Italy (8%). It notes the growth of subsidiaries from the Netherlands (with a year-on-year increase of 9%), the United States and France (6%), and Canada (12%). In total, there are companies from 90 different nationalities. As for the sectors, the ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment study concludes that the most prominent foreign subsidiaries located in Catalonia, based on their revenue, are from the automotive sector (17%), food industry (11%), and chemicals (9%).