Catalonia ranked well behind Madrid, with less than half that amount (€2.358 billion), followed by the Valencian Community (€1.845 billion) and Andalusia (€903 million). Among the countries that have chosen the region as a preferred destination for their investments, the United States (36.5%), the United Kingdom (28.2%), France (16.8%), Sweden (2.9%) and Mexico (2.9%) stand out.
By sector, most foreign capital was invested in wholesale trade (20.7%), sports, recreational and entertainment activities (14.5%), real estate activities (13.4%), telecommunications (10.2%), and land and pipeline transport (9.3%).
Meanwhile, transactions by Madrid-based entities in other countries amounted to €4.081 billion over the same period, accounting for 39% of all Spanish capital invested abroad, almost twice the share of the Basque Country (21%) and Catalonia (18.5%).