Businesses, entrepreneurship and R&D

🏭 Businesses, entrepreneurship and R&D

How many businesses there are in Spain and how large they are, how many companies are set up and how many close, how many workers are self-employed and how much is invested in research and development (R&D) compared with Europe. Figures are given per inhabitant, as a percentage or, where they are in euros, adjusted for inflation.

R&D expenditure: Spain 1.5 EU 2.3OECD 2.9France 2.2Portugal 1.7Germany 3.2Italy 1.4Morocco 0.7 (2010)US 3.4China 2.6 South Korea 4.9Israel 6.3 % of GDP · 2023 · World Bank (WDI, UNESCO) All countries →

How many businesses there are

The INE's Central Business Register (DIRCE) counts every active business on 1 January, including the self-employed, except those in farming and fishing, public administration and domestic service. In 2025 there were 67.4 per 1,000 inhabitants, compared with 74.1 in 2008. In 2023 the INE switched to counting only economically active businesses: the drop that year reflects the change of criterion (on a like-for-like basis the number of businesses grew by 0.5%, according to the INE).

By region, Illes Balears has the highest business density, with 83.5 businesses per 1,000 inhabitants, and Ceuta the lowest, with 38.7. Businesses are counted in the region where they have their head office, not where their premises are.

Size: almost all are very small

In 2025, 54.4% of businesses had no employees at all and 95.1% had fewer than 10. Only 0.80% had 50 or more employees; large businesses, with 250 or more, numbered 5,339.

To compare with Europe, Eurostat measures size by persons employed (including owners) and leaves out finance. In 2024, micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 persons employed) accounted for 31.4% of business employment in Spain, compared with 29.6% in the EU-27; large enterprises for 35.5% compared with 36.5% (in Germany, 44.5%).

What they do

Active businesses by broad sector in 2025. Comercio is the sector with the most businesses: 18.9% of the total, - per 1,000 inhabitants.

Companies set up and dissolved

Trading companies (mostly private and public limited companies) registered and dissolved at the Companies Register, adding up the previous 12 months and per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2025, 260 were set up per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 333 in 2006 and 167 in 2009; 53 per 100,000 were dissolved, that is, 20 for every 100 set up. The self-employed are not included here.

The capital that new companies start with, adjusted for inflation, has fallen: average subscribed capital was €45,216 in 2025, compared with €104,096 in 2006 (2025 euros). It is an average: a few companies with a great deal of capital weigh heavily on it.

By region, in 2025. Each company is counted in the region of its registered office.

Insolvency proceedings

Businesses and individuals entering insolvency proceedings (the former bankruptcy or suspension of payments), per 1,000 active businesses. The figure rose from 0.34 in 2007 to 3.16 in 2013. In 2020 it stood at 2.54 per 1,000 businesses (18.3 per 100,000 inhabitants). The INE has not published these statistics since 2020.

For the recent trend, Eurostat's index of bankruptcy declarations is useful: it compares each country with itself (2021 = 100) and does not allow levels to be compared across countries. In 2026-Q2, Spain's index stood at 149 and the EU-27's at 196.

The self-employed

The Labour Force Survey (EPA) asks every employed person whether they work for themselves or for someone else. The number of self-employed workers has changed little (3.13 million in 2002 and 3.28 million in 2025), but because salaried employment has grown faster, their share has fallen from 18.7% to 14.7% of the employed. These are people, not Social Security registrations: the number of people registered under the self-employed scheme is different.

In 2025, Galicia had the highest proportion of self-employed workers (18.0% of the employed) and Ceuta the lowest (11.2%).

Research and development (R&D)

R&D spending includes research carried out by businesses, government, universities and non-profit institutions, and is measured as a percentage of GDP. In 2024, Spain spent 1.50% of GDP, compared with 2.26% in the EU-27, ranking 15 out of the 27 countries of the Union.

Spending fell back during the crisis: from 1.36% of GDP in 2009 to 1.18% in 2016. Adjusted for inflation, it fell from €441 per inhabitant in 2008 to €348 in 2014, and in 2024 it was €506 (2025 euros).

Who carries out the spending. In 2024, businesses spent 0.84% of GDP on R&D in Spain and 1.50% in the EU-27; government, 0.29% compared with 0.25%; and universities, 0.37% compared with 0.49%. The gap with Europe lies mainly in businesses.

Full-time equivalent researchers per 1,000 employed: 8.7 in Spain and 11.1 in the EU-27 in 2024.

By region, in 2024 (latest year with regional data). Comunidad Foral de Navarra devoted 2.34% of its GDP to R&D and Ceuta 0.28%.

Business output by sector is in Sectors and wages in Wages.

Sources: INE, Central Business Register (DIRCE), tables 302 (businesses by province since 1999) and 39372 (by region, activity and number of employees); Trading Companies Statistics, table 13912; Insolvency Proceedings Statistics, table 2992; EPA (Labour Force Survey), employed persons by professional status, table 65316. Eurostat: R&D expenditure rd_e_gerdtot and rd_e_gerdreg, researchers rd_p_perslf and rd_p_persreg (compiled from the INE's Statistics on R&D Activities), enterprises by size sbs_sc_ovw and registrations and bankruptcies sts_rb_q. Population: INE municipal register (padrón). Constant euros using the INE's general CPI (base 2025).