In 2024, there were 7,231 affiliates of Spanish companies abroad in the sectors of Industry, Construction, Trade and Other non-financial market services.
Turnover generated by these affiliates generated 285,998 million euros. As for employment, they employed 852,153 people, with a personnel cost of 24.557 billion euros. The gross tangible investment they made was 73.222 billion euros.
The Services sector accounted for the largest percentage of Spanish affiliate companies abroad (36.6%). It also registered more employees than the rest of the sectors (43.9% of the total), larger personnel costs (45.8%) and larger gross investment (47.6% of the total).
As for the other sectors, Industry generated 33.5% of total turnover, Trade 24.5% and Construction 8.5%.
Percentage
The activity branches with the highest number of affiliates were Sale and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles and Wholesale trade with 23.8% of the total and Manufacturing industry with 18.3%.
Regarding turnover, the Manufacturing industry was the branch with the largest contribution to the total (21.5%), followed by Information and Communication (13.8%).
Percentage
Manufacturing was the activity with the most employment (26.3% of the total). Information and communication followed behind (15.4%).
Manufacturing industry also incurred the highest personnel costs (22.5% of the total), followed by Transportation and storage (17.1%).
As for Information and Communication and Building construction, these were the activities with the highest material investment (26.6% and 12.4% of the total, respectively).
The countries where the largest amount of affiliate companies were located in 2024 were Portugal (14.5% of the total), the UK (8.4%) and the United States (7.4%).
On the other hand, the countries in which the affiliates made the highest turnover were the UK (10.9% of the total), Brazil (9.5%) and Germany (8.8%).
With regard to the number of persons employed, Brazil employed 11.9% of the total, Mexico 10.0% and the United Kingdom 7.5%.
With regard to personnel costs, the UK (with 17.8%) was the country with the largest personnel costs, followed by the United States (10.2%) and Brazil (8.3%).
The United States (14.0%), Italy (9.9%) and Portugal (9.9%) were the countries in which Spanish affiliates made the largest tangible investment.
It is worth noting that the top 10 countries with the highest turnover accounted for 66.8% of the total turnover, 56.7% of the total number of subsidiaries of Spanish companies abroad and 56.2% of the total number of people employed by these affiliates.
60.9% of Spanish subsidiaries abroad were located in Europe (38.6% in the Eurozone). After Europe, the geographical area with the highest number of subsidiaries was the Americas, with 28.8%.
According to the turnover, the affiliates of Spanish companies located in the Americas generated 38.7% of the total during 2024, while those established in the Eurozone contributed 32.9%. Considering Europe as a whole, 54.0% of total turnover originated on this continent.
Regarding employment, the subsidiaries of Spanish companies in the Americas accounted for 50.2% of the total number of people employed in 2024. Meanwhile, subsidiaries located in Europe employed 38.4% of the total, of which 22.8% corresponded to those established in the Eurozone.
Regarding personnel costs, subsidiaries of Spanish companies in Europe accounted for 52.4% of the total, with 27.8% corresponding to those located in the Eurozone. Meanwhile, subsidiaries in the Americas accounted for 40.1% of personnel costs.
Regarding material investment, subsidiaries of Spanish companies in Europe made 56.9% of the total investment, 44.4% of which corresponded to the Eurozone. 40.1% of the total material investment was made in the Americas.
Subsidiaries of companies with Spanish parent companies showed a greater presence in the Eurozone, mainly in the sectors of Trade (57.4%) and Services (36.9%). In second place was the Americas, registering in the sectors of Construction (36.5%) and Services (36.4%).
The subsidiaries located in the Americas generated the highest revenue and recorded the highest percentages in Construction (59.4%) and Industry (45.2%). In Trade, however, the largest contribution came from the Eurozone, with 40.8% of the total.
Regarding employment, the subsidiaries located in the Americas concentrated the highest percentage of employed people, standing out in the sectors of Services (68.1%) and Construction (47.7%). Meanwhile, in the Eurozone, Trade accounted for 41.0% of the total employed.
Regarding personnel costs, the highest percentages were recorded in the Americas, especially in the sectors of Construction (71.2%) and Services (45.4%). The Eurozone was the geographical area that concentrated the most personnel costs in Trade (45.7%).
Finally, the Eurozone was the main destination for capital investment, particularly in Trade (68.9%) and Services (51.5%). In the Americas, the Construction sector led the way in material investment, concentrating 83.3% of the total.
The data published today are final. All results are available on INEBase.
In accordance with the Commission's Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/137, the INE has begun to work on incorporating the new National Classification of Economic Activities CNAE-2025 in all its statistical operations.
In the case of the Statistics on Spanish Affiliates Abroad, the first publication of results with CNAE-2025 will take place in 2027.
The principle objective of the Statistics on Subsidiaries of Spanish Companies Overseas (FILEXT) is to provide annual information on the main variables that determine the structure and activity of subsidiaries overseas that are ultimately controlled by Spanish parent companies, in the industrial sector as well as construction, business and other non-financial market services.
Information is provided on the main variables, broken down by activity, size and country or geographic area of the subsidiary company.
The results of these statistics are prepared using administrative information from the Register of Foreign Investment of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise as a basis. This Ministry supplies primary data to the INE by virtue of a collaboration agreement between both organisms. The INE also has an additional collaboration agreement with the Tax Agency, through which it receives and uses form 231 of the Country-by-Country Information Declaration to complement the aforementioned information. Likewise, the European Register of Groups and the Structural Statistics on Companies act as a source for calculating the necessary raising factors.
The Statistics on Affiliates of Spanish Companies Abroad (FILEXT) complements the information which, in the scope of the economic globalisation statistics, provides the Statistics on Affiliates of Foreign Companies in Spain (FILINT), the results of which are contained, as of reference year 2021, in the Statistics on Companies according to Group Membership (EEPG).
Type of survey: annual continuous operation.
Population scope: affiliates of Spanish companies located abroad whose main activity is included in sections B to E (Industry), F (Construction), G (Trade) and H to S (Services), except K (financial) and O (Gen. Government) of the CNAE-2009.
Geographical scope: the statistics refer to affiliates located outside of Spain, both within the European Union and outside of it.
Reference period: annual.
Collection method: administrative registry completed with estimation methods.
For more information, you can access the methodology and the standardised methodological report.
INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics. More information on Quality at INE and the Code of Best Practices.
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