The Principality is the third community that attracts the most capital from outside Spain, behind only Madrid and Barcelona. The electricity supply sector received the most funding, followed by construction.
Foreign investment in Asturias reached 489.31 million during the first quarter of the year, a figure that is almost identical to that recorded for the whole of last year, when it reached 527 million. This is reflected in the data just released by the Secretary of State for Trade through the Foreign Investment Register, which places the Principality as the third community with the highest foreign investment between January and March.
In the ranking that marks the flow of foreign investment by autonomous communities, Asturias is only behind the two most populated territories in the country, Madrid, installed in first place, and Catalonia, located in second place. The two regions usually lead this ranking. To give an indication of the volume, the flow of foreign investment received by Asturias in the first quarter of this year is higher than that received jointly by the Valencian Community and Aragon, the two territories that occupy the fourth and fifth positions in this ranking.
The foreign investment received by the Principality during this first quarter represents 7.33% of all foreign investment received at national level. In an international context marked by great uncertainty, foreign investment is often used as a thermometer to measure the strength of the economy, in this case the Asturian economy, and the confidence that investors have in the community.
Looking more closely at the data for Asturias, the increase in investment projects in the first quarter of 2024 in what is known as electricity supply stands out. This is one of the strongest sectors of activity in the Principality and one of those that is growing at a faster pace with various initiatives to move towards decarbonisation and which, according to the statistics, has attracted the attention of international companies. There were also investments in the building construction sector during this period. These disbursements came mainly from Luxembourg and Mexico.
The Sekuens Agency has more than 290 foreign capital companies based in Asturias in its database. The vast majority have found attractive businesses in which to invest in the service sector (55.03%); in industry (38.94%); and in construction (6.04%).
Asturias has for some time now occupied a prominent position as one of the communities that attracts the most foreign investment. In 2023, the Principality ranked sixth in this classification with 527.2 million, ahead of much more populated communities.
