Catalonia reaches record high of 9,801 foreign companies

The President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, announced on Monday that the number of foreign companies established in Catalonia has reached a record high of 9,801. The figures are from the report Foreign Company Subsidiaries in Catalonia 2026, prepared by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business growth of the Ministry of Business and Labour. The study highlights that the presence of foreign multinationals in Catalonia has increased by nearly 40% over the past decade.

Illa presented the findings at Passeu’26. Welcome to the Land of Game-Changers, an event organized by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site in Barcelona, attended by 150 executives from companies operating in Catalonia. The event also featured the participation of the Secretary for Business and Innovation and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, Jaume Baró. The event highlighted Catalonia’s strengths as one of Europe’s leading destinations for foreign investment, the strategic importance of multinational investment to the Catalan economy, and also served as a networking opportunity for attending business leaders.

The President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, headed the annual event of the ecosystem of foreign companies established in Catalonia, where he stressed that “we must make sure prosperity reaches everyone.”

In this regard, Illa stated that this prosperity “cannot be concentrated in a few territories, or in a few layers of society.” The same emphasis must be placed on generating prosperity and on ensuring that “this prosperity reaches everyone.”

The head of the Executive highlighted that 3 out of every 10 jobs in Catalonia “are the product of the prosperity of foreign companies that have decided to invest in Catalonia.” Along these lines, Illa thanked the companies “that have decided, and continue to decide, to invest in Catalonia.”

The study reveals sustained growth in the number of foreign multinationals choosing to establish operations in Catalonia, with 200 additional subsidiaries identified since 2024, when the directory was last updated. The total represents a 71.7% increase compared with the 5,708 foreign subsidiaries recorded in 2014, the first year of the series.

Foreign multinationals are present in 40 of Catalonia’s 43 counties, with particularly strong concentrations in municipalities such as Sant Cugat del Vallès, El Prat de Llobregat, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Terrassa and Rubí, as well as Barcelona.

Catalonia’s foreign business ecosystem is both dynamic and well established. Some 23% of these companies were established in the past five years, 41% in the past decade, while 36% have been operating for more than 20 years. In Catalonia, these companies account for 26.5% of all jobs, 33.1% of total business turnover and 49.9% of exports.

Geographic diversity

The report highlights the international diversity of foreign companies operating in Catalonia, which originate from around 100 different countries. The United States leads the ranking, accounting for 15.7% of all foreign companies, followed by France (13.5%), Germany (11.5%), the United Kingdom (9.3%) and Italy (7.8%).

The study also points to significant growth in the number of Chinese subsidiaries, which has risen by 32% over the past two years. China now ranks tenth among countries of origin and is the leading Asian country in terms of the number of subsidiaries established in Catalonia. Indian companies have also recorded notable growth, with an increase of nearly 27%.

The importance of technology

In terms of sectors, the ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment report identifies the automotive industry (15.6%), food (13.3%) and chemicals (8.9%) among the most significant by turnover. However, when measured by the number of companies, the ICT and electronics sector leads the ranking, accounting for 13.2% of all foreign subsidiaries. 

According to the report, 2,200 foreign subsidiaries operate in technology-related sectors, representing 22.4% of the total. The number of these companies increased by 13.2% between 2024 and 2026. Over half (55%) of foreign technology subsidiaries in Catalonia come from four countries: the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. Technology companies also account for a particularly significant proportion of subsidiaries originating from Japan (30%) and China (24.2%). Artificial intelligence and big data, together with cybersecurity, are the most prevalent technologies used by foreign subsidiaries operating in Catalonia.

The Government’s investment attraction strategy

A year ago, the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, presented the Government’s new strategy to attract, secure and retain foreign investment in Catalonia for the 2026–2030 period. Led by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the strategy aims to attract more than €6 billion in investment and create or safeguard 45,000 jobs. Its objectives include securing 600 foreign investment projects with Government support by 2030, generating €6 billion in investment, including reinvestment by foreign subsidiaries already established in Catalonia, and creating or maintaining 45,000 jobs. The Government has also set a target of reaching 10,000 foreign subsidiaries operating in Catalonia.

In 2025, ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment achieved a new record for foreign investment attraction, securing €1.105 billion, an increase of 5% compared with the previous year and the highest figure since records began in 1985. These figures are included in the annual results published by Catalonia Trade & Investment, ACCIÓ’s unit responsible for attracting and managing foreign investment on behalf of the Government of Catalonia. The number of foreign investment projects successfully implemented remained above 100 for the third consecutive year, reaching a total of 101. These projects created 3,980 jobs in 2025 and maintained a further 1,728. Over the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, the number of jobs created increased by 3%, while the number of maintained jobs rose by 61%, compared with the previous five-year period (2016–2020).

ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment is currently working with a portfolio of more than 500 projects involving foreign companies with the potential to invest in Catalonia.