Andalucia’s businesses are in for another bumper year after enjoying a 41% surge in foreign direct investment in 2024.
According to the latest BDO report on investment prospects for 2025, a staggering 95% of investment funds now plan to put money into Andalucian companies next year – up seven points on 2024.
While 85% of funds admit difficulties in raising capital globally, almost a third have already invested in Andalucia this year – triple the level of 2023.
The annual survey, Retos y Perspectivas de Inversión en Andalucía, says local companies are maturing, professionalising and opening themselves to external capital, with a friendlier administrative environment helping to unlock private investment.
‘Confidence is growing, the market is opening, and Andalucian businesses are showing a new level of professionalism,’ Jose María Silva, BDO’s head of Andalucía, told El Confidencial.
He made the comments ahead of his presentation at Andalucia Investors Day in Sevilla next week.
Record-breaking investment inflows
According to figures from Andalucia Trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2024 hit €837 million – the second-highest level in the past decade, representing a 41% year-on-year increase.
That growth rate more than doubles Spain’s national average (+18.9%) and places Andalucia well above both the decade-long average (€696m) and the 24-year trend (€547m).
In fact, the 2019–2024 period marks the best six-year run ever for Andalucia, with €5.02 billion in FDI – nearly double the previous period (2013–2018).
President Juanma Moreno, fresh from representing Andalucía in Copenhagen, will open next week’s Investors Day, underscoring his role as the region’s ‘first salesman.’
In June, Moreno gathered top Ibex 35 CEOs in Madrid, pitching the ‘Invest in Andalucia’ campaign and pledging to spearhead the drive to attract and retain international capital.
What is attracting foreign money?
- Renewables & green hydrogen: Andalucía already leads Spain in installed solar capacity, with flagship hydrogen projects planned in Huelva and Cadiz. These promise to make the region a future export hub of clean fuel to northern Europe.
- Mining & critical raw materials: The Faja Piritica Iberica, stretching through Huelva and Sevilla, is one of Europe’s richest mineral belts. Companies are pouring money into copper and zinc extraction, vital for electric vehicles and batteries.
- Agritech & food exports: Almería’s ‘sea of plastic’ greenhouses and Jaen’s olive sector are luring investment into high-tech irrigation, logistics, and food processing to meet surging global demand.
- Tourism & real estate: High-end projects in Costa del Sol and Sevilla continue to draw international buyers, with funds betting on luxury residential and long-stay tourism.
- Technology & industry: Startups in Malaga’s ‘Tech Park’ (PTA) are attracting venture capital, while 3D-printing company Meltio (Jaén) and fashion house Silbon (Córdoba) showcase the growing appeal of Andalusian innovation.
The Andalucia Investors Day, hosted at Sevilla’s Hotel Alfonso XIII, has become an annual barometer of the region’s economic health.
This year’s line-up brings together government officials, fund managers, and business leaders.
Speakers include Pilar Manchon, Google’s global head of AI research and recently named Hija Predilecta de Andalucía.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
