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# Foreign Buyers Down in Catalonia Since 2023
- URL: https://barna.news/foreign-buyers-down-in-catalonia-since/
- Published: 2026-10-30T15:14:21.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T15:22:43.000Z
- Description: The number of homes bought by foreigners in Catalonia has fallen for the first time since 2023, dropping 9% between January and June 2026.
- Author: Barna.News News Desk
- Tags: Housing

## Decline in Foreign Home Purchases

Buyers from outside Spain have reduced their share of the housing market in Catalonia, with a 9% drop in property purchases between January and June 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, according to the Notarial Observatory of Catalonia. This marks the first annual decline since 2023\. Despite the drop, foreign buyers still accounted for 18.5% of all authorised housing transactions in the region during the first half of 2026, a total of 10,293 sales.

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## Higher Prices, Slower Growth

Foreign buyers continue to pay above the regional average, spending 16% more than the mean price in Catalonia. However, their purchase prices rose by only 3% compared to the first half of 2025, while overall market prices in the region increased by more than 10% year-on-year in both the first and second quarters. Per square metre, properties bought by foreigners cost €2,880 in the first half of 2026, up 3% from the same period in 2025\. In contrast, the national average price per square metre for foreign purchases rose 9.4% to €2,644\. Despite steeper increases elsewhere, property prices paid by foreigners in Catalonia remain higher than the national average.

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## Top Nationalities Buying

Among foreign buyers not resident in Catalonia, French nationals remain the largest group, responsible for 35% of purchases, more than three in every ten homes bought by foreigners. Germans follow with 9%. Among foreign buyers who already live in Catalonia, Italians and Moroccans lead, each accounting for around 11% of transactions. Catalonia represented 16.5% of all foreign home sales in Spain during the first half of 2026, slightly above its share of national population and economy. At the national level, foreign property purchases fell by 13%, a steeper decline than in Catalonia.

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*Sources:* [*Ara*](https://www.ara.cat/economia/immobiliari/estrangers-compren-menys-pisos-catalunya-primera-vegada-des-2023%5F1%5F5894892.html?ref=barna.news)*,* [*viaempresa.cat*](https://www.viaempresa.cat/economia/compravenda-habitatges-estrangers-cau-9-primera-meitat-2026%5F2242768%5F102.html?ref=barna.news)*,* [*colegionotarial.org*](https://www.colegionotarial.org/ca/los-extranjeros-compran-una-de-cada-siete-viviendas-en-cataluna/?ref=barna.news)*.*

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