Catalonia receives only 8.6% of all state investments attributed to individual autonomous communities. Despite an increase in funding last year, the volume of state investments in the region remains disproportionately low compared to its share of Spain’s economy (19%) and its population (17%).
According to data from the General State Inspectorate (IGAE), provided by the Spanish Ministry of Finance to political groups in the Congress of Deputies and accessed by La Vanguardia, Catalonia received 8.6% of all state investments that can be regionalized by autonomous communities last year. This is less than half of its economic share (19%) and significantly lower than its population share (17%).
Low Budget Execution Rates
In 2025, the total volume of investments in Catalonia reached 1.321 billion euros, which is 28.5% more than in 2023 (the last year with an approved budget), but 6.2% less than the 2024 figure of 1.409 billion euros, equivalent to 10.8% of the total investment volume.
Madrid receives 2.4 times more actual state investments than Catalonia, totaling 3.218 billion euros in 2025. The persistently low level of state investment execution continues to be a major grievance among Catalan society, spanning employer associations, trade unions, political parties, and academic circles.
A positive aspect of these figures is that in 2024 and 2025, the state allocated over 1.3 billion euros to the region, significantly more than during the period from 2013–2022, when this amount never exceeded 1 billion euros. However, compared to other autonomous communities, Catalonia still lags behind. Last year, it ranked fifth in state investments, receiving 1.321 billion euros, while the Valencian Community (1.738 billion euros), Andalusia (1.620 billion euros), and Galicia (1.580 billion euros) received more funds.
The data also shows that nearly half of the executed state investments in Catalonia last year were provided by Adif, the railway infrastructure operator. Information on investment execution, which was traditionally published every six months on the IGAE website, is now sent directly by the Ministry of Finance to the Congress secretariats. This time, data for the second half of 2024 and for the entire year 2025 were published. Catalan political parties, particularly Junts and ERC, have long demanded the restoration of regular publication of this information.
As the state budget continues to operate without a new approval, it is impossible to analyze the execution percentage relative to planned indicators. Meanwhile, actual expenditures in all years have remained lower than those outlined in the last approved budget for 2023. Comparing the executed investments in 2025 with the extended budget of 2023, the execution rate stands at 58%.
Source: La Vanguardia
