La inversión extranjera bruta repunta un 31% hasta junio pero las desinversiones se disparan

In the first half of the year, Spain received 12.446 million euros in foreign direct investment, but foreign companies' disinvestments were 9.038 million euros, a 142% increase, reducing net capital inflow to 3.407 million euros. The economic ties between Spain and the United States are significant, with cumulative investments crossing 213 billion euros.

This underscores the strength of the transatlantic relationship, as the United States is the top destination for Spanish investments, while the US remains the largest international investor in Spain, even amidst President Trump's aggressive trade policies and frequent clashes with the Pedro Sánchez government. Between January and June of this year, foreign direct investment in Spain surpassed 12.446 million euros, a 31.2% increase from the same period in 2025, a particularly challenging year for the economy in that regard.

According to the Trade Secretariat's updated data, this surge was largely driven by US investment, which increased by 84% to 2.857 million euros between January and June compared to the same period in 2025, accounting for 23% of total foreign investment during that period. The government, through the Ministry of Economy, quickly highlighted the strength of US investment, emphasizing that Spain's appeal to major international companies and funds is clear and signals confidence in our economy, productive fabric, and opportunities offered by Spain.

However, the data also reveals a mix of bright spots and significant shadows. Firstly, the first-half foreign direct investment figure is the lowest since mid-2021, following a poor 2025 performance. Secondly, while foreign investment has surged strongly, disinvestment has increased even more sharply, with a 142.7% jump in the first half compared to 2025.

This results in a net figure of only 3.407 million euros, a 40.8% drop. Lastly, the case of the US is notable: while US investments increased significantly compared to 2025, disinvestments were even higher, surpassing 3.851 million euros, resulting in a negative balance of 993 million. This acceleration in disinvestment occurs amid heightened geopolitical tension and uncertainty, and within an economic context marked by political instability, continuous lack of state budgets, and the weak management of the Ceuta crisis.

Despite these complexities, Madrid remains the main hub for foreign investment in Spain. Of the 12.446 million euros received between January and June, 5.635 million euros chose Madrid as their destination, a 15.5% increase from the same period last year and 45.2% more than the total foreign investment that arrived in Spain by June.

This nearly equals the amount received by Catalonia, which received 2.358 million euros, despite Catalonia's robust growth in the second-largest regional economy in Spain, where foreign investment jumped 68% to represent 18.9% of the total, far above the 15% in 2025 or the 13.4% in 2024. Madrid and Catalonia accounted for nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of the overall foreign direct investment received in the first half of the year.

However, the Community of Valencia made a significant quantitative leap, reaching 1.845 million euros, more than ten times the 360 million euros received between January and June 2025, and becoming the third-largest recipient. Finally, Andalusia received 903 million euros, Castilla y León received 425 million euros, and Aragon received 185 million euros.

In terms of sectors, foreign money focused mainly on manufacturing, where 2.811 million euros were invested, accounting for 22.5% of the total. Next was trade, including wholesale and retail, which received 1.865 million euros, followed closely by activities related to telecommunications, consulting, and computer programming, attracting 1.640 million euros.

The transport and storage sector received 1.466 million euros, while the energy supply sector (electricity and gas) received 1.189 million euros.