Which international buyers purchase the most properties in Spain?

The share of Spanish homes bought by foreign residents is increasing again.

According to data from the Property Registrars, in the second quarter of 2024, the share of homes bought by foreigners amounted to 14.94% of purchases made in the whole of Spain, the second highest result in history.

In the second quarter of this year, demand for housing from foreign buyers was strong on the Mediterranean coast and the islands. So strong that in four provinces, foreign buyers accounted for at least 30% of all home purchases made during this period.

These are the provinces of Alicante, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Malaga and the Balearic Islands.

The leader was the Costa Blanca, where almost 45% of transactions were made by foreigners. Alicante is the only province where 40% of real estate transactions involve a foreign buyer. Next come Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 38.01%, Malaga with 32.02% and the Balearic Islands with 30.38%.

In Girona, Murcia, Las Palmas, Almeria and Tarragona, the share of home purchases by foreign buyers is also significant, accounting for between 29.2% and 15.8% of sales registered between April and June.

Slightly below average in terms of foreign purchases are Castellón, Valencia and Barcelona, ​​while in the remaining 38 provinces, foreigners make up less than 10% of the market. For example, in Granada and Zaragoza, foreigners bought 7% of homes in the spring, while their share in Madrid, Teruel and Guadalajara was 6%.

In 26 provinces, the share of foreigners in home purchases is less than 5%, with the lowest figures recorded in A Coruña, Albacete, Pontevedra, Palencia, Cáceres, Córdoba and Zamora

(Home purchases by foreigners in each province [Data from the second quarter of 2024. Percentage of total transactions)

Share of Spanish property purchases by nationality

The current economic situation creates the following picture in the distribution of property transactions between different nationalities:

The British continue to lead in property purchases in Spain, with almost 2,000 transactions between April and June, but their relative weight has fallen for the first time, from 9% of the total to 8.8%.

Historically, British citizens have been the most prominent nationality, reaching around 25% in 2015. However, since the end of 2020, when the housing market began to recover again from the coronavirus epidemic, their relative weight has barely exceeded 10% in four of the last ten quarters.

After the British (8.8%), the highest rates of property purchases in Spain in the second quarter of 2024 were recorded among the Germans (7.25%), the French (6.56%), the Moroccans (5.37%), the Italians (5.22%), the Romanians (5.15%), the Belgians (5.09%) and the Dutch (4.61%), which means transactions in absolute terms exceeding 1,000 homes purchased.

Although the other nationalities bought less than 1,000 homes during this period, their share increased compared to the beginning of the year, as in the case of the Poles (3.92%), the Russians (3.43%), the Chinese (3.09%), the Swedes (2.94%), the Ukrainians (2.72%) and the Irish (1.66%).

Investing in Spanish real estate is still a great idea in the current economic and political situation, which means that the need for new owners to keep their purchased property in an attractive condition is very relevant.

Our agency Keyhold.online will help you with this!