Foreign investment in Catalonia surpassed €1bn in 2024

Catalonia saw an all-time high for foreign investment secured by the regional government in 2024, reaching €1.05 billion.

Investments surpassed the €1 billion threshold for the first time after a 19% increase on 2023 numbers, Catalonia's Trade & Investment agency (ACCIÓ) announced on Monday.

Last year, 106 different projects created 4,984 jobs, up 10%, and maintained another 3,245 jobs.

The share of projects from Asia has increased and now represents 22% of the total, tied with projects from the Americas.

Over the last five years, the level of foreign investment attracted has doubled to a total of €3.64 billion. The number of jobs created thanks to these investments has increased by 9% to 28,000.

The data includes those investment projects supported by ACCIÓ, for example the innovation center of the Chinese chemical giant Wanhua in Cornellà, Lufthansa's digital hub in Barcelona, ​​Elian's protein plant in Barcelona, and the Elis Cleanroom in Granollers.

The figures do not include other investments, such as Chinese vehicle manufacturer Chery's contribution to the reindustrialization of the former Nissan plant in Barcelona's Zona Franca.

"Very positive" results

"The results are very positive and particularly remarkable in an environment where global foreign investment is expected to fall by around 8%," said Catalonia's Minister of Enterprise and Employment, Miquel Sàmper, referencing the expected protectionist wave and growing tensions between countries in 2025, following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The government highlighted that many of the projects are related to high-tech and high-value-added sectors, with the ICT and electronics sector accounting for 22% of investments, followed by the automotive industry (14%), the chemical sector (11%), food (7%), and video games (7%).

While Europe continues to lead the rankings with 54% of projects, the share of investments from China, South Korea, and Japan has increased. In the last year, projects from Asia accounted for 22%, in second place, tied with those from America.

The investments come from 30 countries. Germany leads the list with 11% of the total, followed by the United States, which has dropped one place and 12 percentage points to 9%. France has also fallen one place and is now in third with 9% of projects, while China has broken into the list of top investors with 7%.

China trip

"Catalonia cannot put all its eggs in one basket; we want to have a variety of resources and opportunities to forge alliances and attract investments," said Sàmper, who said that, in addition to China and the United States, they are also working with India, Southeast Asia, and countries worldwide.

Sàmper announced that his first official trip as minister will be to China in 10 days to strengthen alliances and establish new links with the country, especially with companies in the automotive and electric vehicle sectors.