Despite this growth, the share of foreign buyers accounted for 19.3% of total transactions, which is lower than the 20.3% recorded last year and 21.3% the year before. This represents the lowest foreign buyer market share in over three and a half years.
Foreign Residents vs. Non-Residents
Notarial statistics reveal that foreign residents were responsible for 60.9% of these transactions (43,306), reflecting a 6.4% year-on-year increase. Conversely, purchases by foreign non-residents declined by 4.1% to 27,849 transactions compared to the previous year.
Top Nationalities Among Foreign Buyers
- British – 5,731 purchases (8.1% of foreign transactions);
- Moroccans – 5,654 (7.9%);
- Germans – 4,756 (6.7%);
- Italians – 4,513;
- Romanians – 4,480;
- Dutch – 4,166;
- French – 3,980;
- Belgians – 2,908.
Preferred Regions by Foreign Residents and Non-Residents
Among foreign non-residents, British, German, Dutch, and Belgian buyers dominate the market. The British lead in Murcia (28.7% of foreign non-resident purchases) and Andalusia (15.5%), while Germans are the primary buyers in the Balearic Islands (50%), Extremadura (29.6%), and the Canary Islands (22%). The Dutch are prominent in Murcia (15.2%) and the Valencian Community (14.9%), whereas Belgians stand out in Aragon (12.8%) and Asturias (11.7%).
Foreign residents show distinct regional preferences: Moroccans favor Murcia (38.7%), Navarre (37%), La Rioja (26.8%), Extremadura (23.5%), and Castile-La Mancha (21.3%). Romanians concentrate in Aragon (29.5%), Castile-La Mancha (26.2%), and La Rioja (20.9%). Italians are notably active in the Canary Islands (22.5%), Balearic Islands (15.4%), Madrid (12.2%), and Catalonia (12.1%). British residents predominantly purchase in Andalusia (12%) and Murcia (11.1%).
Price Trends and Records
The average price of homes purchased by foreigners in Spain during the first half of the year reached €2,417 per square meter, a 7.6% increase from the previous year and the highest on record. This rise is largely driven by non-resident buyers, whose average price surpassed €3,100/m² for the first time, up 8% year-on-year. Foreign residents paid an average of €1,912/m², a 10.3% increase, though still below the 2008 peak.
The highest prices were paid by buyers from the United States (€3,465/m²), Switzerland (€3,457/m²), Sweden (€3,421/m²), Norway (€3,292/m²), and Germany (€3,270/m²). Above-average prices were also recorded among buyers from Poland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The lowest prices were paid by Moroccans (€747/m²), Romanians (€1,325/m²), and Ecuadorians (€1,328/m²).
Regions with the Highest Foreign Buyer Activity
The Valencian Community leads in foreign buyer activity with over 20,000 transactions involving both residents and non-residents. Foreign residents completed 9,515 purchases here (22% of total foreign resident transactions), followed by Catalonia (8,909; 20.6%), Andalusia (6,677; 15.4%), and the Community of Madrid (4,620; 10.7%). Among non-residents, the Valencian Community also leads with 11,025 transactions (39.6%), followed by Andalusia (6,733; 24.2%), the Canary Islands (2,666; 9.6%), Catalonia (2,351; 8.4%), and Murcia (2,121; 7.6%).
Annual Growth Dynamics
Most autonomous communities experienced growth in foreign buyer transactions. Asturias led with a 30.8% increase, followed by Castile and León (25.9%), Galicia (14.3%), Castile-La Mancha (11.7%), Extremadura (10.6%), Aragon (10.4%), and La Rioja (9.9%). More moderate growth was observed in Catalonia (7.1%), Andalusia (6%), Cantabria (5.5%), Murcia (3.1%), the Basque Country (2.4%), and Madrid (0.1%). However, four regions saw declines: the Canary Islands (–7.7%), Balearic Islands (–6.8%), Navarre (–3.7%), and the Valencian Community (–3.6%).