The trend marked a progressive upward curve, and the 2023 records reached a new peak. Spanish investment in Spain reached a historical maximum of 22,379 million euros last year, the highest record in the historical series dating back to 2000, according to data provided by the . They were 3,054 million more than in 2022 – the interannual rate was 15.9%, the second highest -, in the ninth year of continued increases.
According to the estimates made by the Cotec Foundation, taking the latest growth rate as a reference, if it remains sustained over time, the objective set by the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy would be exceeded, which establishes that Spanish economy invested 2.12% of GDP in R&D that year. If it remains stable, in four years this would reach 2.21%.
In its analysis, Cotec bases the enormous increase in research and development for the mattress, and warns that these “will not be available forever.” For this reason, it recommends finding a replacement once European coverage ends—in the summer of 2026—“with other funds of national origin, both public and private.”
As for which sectors drove the increase in investments, the data shows that, percentage-wise, both the public and private sectors increased their contribution equally: 16%. In total volumes, the public contributed 9,701 million euros, while the private sector contributed 12,678 million. This is also a historic record, and represents 4,582 million euros more than those used in 2008, before the financial crisis.
Behind the macro figures hide those workers with whom the bet was reinforced. According to the data, the total number of people employed full-time in R&D activities increased in 2023 to 282,415 (19,000 more than in 2022). Both the public sector (with 9,724 more employees, employing a total of 146,713 people), and the business sector (with 9,284 additional employees, employing 135,702 people) contributed in a very similar way to this growth.
Services (6,727 million euros) and industry (5,676) made a similar volume of investment in R&D in 2023. However, taking into account the different weight that each of them represents on the country’s economy, what stands out especially is the industry, responsible for more than 45% of the annual investment volume, when it represents 23% of Spain’s GDP.
Territorial expansion
Regarding the service branches that invest the most in R&D, they are professional, scientific and technical activities (3,747 million euros), R&D services (2,450 million euros) and information and communications (1,930 million euros).
By gender, the number of men and women was practically equal within the audience (51% and 49%, respectively); while in the private sector the male presence was majority (68% and 32%, respectively). What is still evident in the private ecosystem.
In territorial distribution, all communities recorded growth rates, with Galicia and Asturias standing out above all of them (28% more investment). The lowest rates occurred in Castilla-La Mancha (+6%) and in the autonomous cities of Ceuta (+6.5%) and Melilla (+4.2%).
