The GEM 2025/2026 Spain Report delivers comprehensive, data-driven insights into the state of entrepreneurship in Spain. Despite global uncertainty, 2025 marked a year of growth across all stages of the entrepreneurial process — with entrepreneurial intentions rising from 11.2% to 13.8%, early-stage entrepreneurship (TEA) increasing from 7.2% to 7.8%, and established business ownership (EBO) growing from 6.8% to 7.4%.
The report explores the key trends shaping Spain's entrepreneurial ecosystem: the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (now present in nearly one in three new businesses), an increasingly older and more educated founder profile, and a growing contribution from foreign-born entrepreneurs, whose early-stage startup rate doubles that of native Spaniards.
Regional disparities, persistent fear of failure, and limited business scaling remain critical challenges. Spain's National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI) scored 4.4 out of 10 in 2025 — still below the GEM Global average — with market access barriers rated the lowest among all benchmark countries at 3.8 out of 10.
An essential reference for policymakers, investors, researchers, and entrepreneurs seeking reliable data on startup trends, innovation, AI adoption, sustainability, and the entrepreneurial landscape in Spain.