- 1Spain: An attractive country for investment
- 2Setting up a business in Spain
- 3 Tax System
- 4 Investment aid and incentives in Spain
- 5 Labor and social security regulations
- 6 Intellectual property law
- 7Legal framework and tax implications of e-commerce in Spain
- AI Annex I Company and Commercial Law
- AIIAnnex II The Spanish financial system
- AIIIAnnex IIIAccounting and audit issues

- Introduction
- The country, its people and quality of life
- Spain and the European Union
- Infrastructure
- Economic structure
- Domestic Market
- Foreign trade and investment
- Legislation on foreign investment and exchange control
- Obligations in relation to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing
1Introduction
Spain is one of the most important economies in the world, ranking 14th in size and has an immense capacity to attract foreign investment (currently ranked 9th in terms of foreign direct investment)1. Spain’s appeal for investment lies not only in its domestic market, but also in the possibility of operating with third markets from Spain. This is because Spain has a privileged geo-strategic position within the European Union giving access to more than 2,300 million potential clients in the EMEA Region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Its strong economic, historic and cultural ties also make Spain the perfect business gateway to Latin America.
Furthermore, Spain is a modern knowledge-based economy with services accounting for over 74%2 of economic activity. The country has become a center of innovation supported by a young, highly-qualified work force and competitive costs in the context of Western Europe.
This Chapter gives a brief description of Spain’s vital statistics: its population, its political and territorial structure and its economy.
1According to the 2021 A. T. K Kearney FDI Confidence Index.
2National Statistics Institute. Data from 2021.