Foreign investment has increased in Spain in recent years. Spain has established itself as an attractive foreign investment destination “thanks to its growing participation in international business,” according to the TBS Education business school. In 2022, foreign investment exceeded 34,178 million euros gross, which is the second highest figure since these data were recorded and an interannual increase of 13.9%.
This increase in investment comes hand in hand with the internationalization of Spanish companies. Spain has experienced an increase in the number of companies with international business. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism included in the Action Plan for the Internationalization of the Spanish Economy 2021-2022, the number of companies that export regularly amounts to 55,000. 13 years ago there were 16,000 fewer exporters, that is, since 2010 the number of internationalized corporations has increased by practically 30%.
By sector, more than half of the total foreign investment (55.1%) in Spain went to the service sector. The industrial sector is placed in second position with 42.2% of foreign investment.
The internationalization of the business sector, according to said Action Plan, helps to generate more employment. It is estimated that more than three million jobs in Spain depend on external demand. Internationalized companies are a source of generating qualified employment. In addition, “the accelerated digitization of economies and technological progress have opened up a range of possibilities,” according to TBS Education, for people specialized in international trade.
United States, main foreign investor
According to data from the Ministry of Industry, the United States becomes the main foreign investor in Spain. The US country made a gross investment of 9,453 million euros in 2022, equivalent to 27.7% of total investments. This means an interannual increase of 14.1%.
The second foreign investor in Spain is the United Kingdom, which with its 6,097 million euros of gross investment contributes 17.8% of the total investment flow. Germany, France and Australia complete the top 5. France, in the period 2018-2022, reduced its investment in Spain by 16.4%. In one year it has gone from representing 27% of the total investment to 10%.
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