Why Madrid

As the national capital, Madrid concentrates activities directly connected with power (central and regional government, headquarters of Spanish companies, regional HQ of multinationals, financial institutions) and with knowledge and technological innovation (research centers and universities). It is one of Europe's largest financial centers and the largest in Spain. The city has 17 universities and over 30 research centers. It is the third metropolis in the EU by population, and the fourth by gross internal product.

A business friendly economy

Madrid leads Spanish Growth (MAD +3.7% 2017 vs 3.1% SPA). Madrid is an economic powerhouse, is the main financial hub and decision-making centre in Spain. The Madrid City and Regional Governments make it as easy as possible for international business people and investors to establish a company in the region and to maximize its potential by forging a business-friendly environment.

More Institutional Support

  • A regional government dedicated to improving the business climate and in tune with investor needs, a government committed to removing red tape and administrative obstacles.

Business Decision Making Centre

  • 65% of the largest companies in Spain are in Madrid. Madrid ranks 3rd city in the European Union with the most operational head offices of multinational companies, according to the 2016 FORTUNE 500 list, and 2 out of every 3 Spanish companies on the Forbes 2000 Global companies list are based in Madrid.

Leader in Securing Foreign Direct Investment

  • 40% of all foreign businesses in Spain are in Madrid, and 6 of every 10€ invested in Spain arrive in Madrid.

Leader in Securing Foreign Direct Investment

  • Personal taxes in Madrid are among the lowest within European City Capitals. Madrid also offers a favourable Taxation and high Deductions for R&D.

Highly-Qualified Human Capital

Top region in Spain for the qualification level of its active population. Madrid ranks 2nd in terms of % of active population in Spain. 46% of the active population has a university degree.

Cultural diversity

  • 17.8% of the total population is foreign-born, representing over 180 different nationalities. Also 26% of the population in the Madrid Region comes from elsewhere in Spain. 

Higher education network

  • No. 1 Region in Spain for people pursuing higher education.

    Madrid is an ideal location to enhance your professional knowledge and develop your career. 14 universities offer world-class educational and research opportunities.
  • The Region of Madrid has 6 public and 8 private universities, plus private higher education centres. The total number of registered university students in the Region of Madrid was 307.807 in 2016-2017.
  • Madrid is home to some of the most internationally renowned business schools, according to the main international rankings: IE, IESE, ESADE.

Tomorrow Talent

  • About 650 schools and institutes have launched bilingual educational plans in Spanish and English.
  • Madrid has some of the most important international schools (British Council, Hastings School, International College Spain, King’s College, Lycée Français, The English Montessori School, Scuola Italiana or Deutsche Schule).
  • 36 of the 100 best schools in Spain are in Madrid.

Geostrategic Location and World Class Infrastructure

Madrid offers access to >1.600M Customers, a privileged position to acces key markets in Europe, Latin America and the North of Africa.

Road and Rail Infrastructure 

Madrid is the heart of the rail and road transport system:

  • 3,100 km of high-speed railway tracks
  • A road network of over 3,400 km

Logistics centres 

  • Largest logistics surface area in Spain.
  • 75% of logistics companies (Spanish and international) have their headquarters in Madrid.
  • Barajas-Coslada logistics platform, which includes the Coslada Dry Port, receives freight trains from Spain’s 4 main ports, as well as from Lisbon.

International Air Transport

  • Adolfo Suárez Madrid – Barajas Airport, 12 km from the city centre. The Metro and Suburban trains and the bus network connect the airport to the city of Madrid and the surrounding metropolitan area within 20 minutes.
  • No. 1 in Spain in terms of passengers and freight in 2015 (more than 200 companies operating)
  • No. 5 in Europe in terms of capacity (70 million passengers).

Urban Infrastructure

  • Underground: World-class underground with more than 300 stations, 13 lines and almost 300 km.
  • Regional trains and buses; 391 km local trains and 324 intercity lines.
  • Bus: Over 2,000 buses, 208 lines, 10,367 stops in a 3,705 km network. At a great price: single ticket is €1.50. 
  • Madrid is a pioneer in alternative transport services: car-sharing, bicycle hire, electric motorbikes and cars for hire, etc.

Offices available at very competitive Prices

  • Rental prices for Prime Office Space (2017 €/sq/meter) are lower than: Berlin, Amsterdam, Munich, Frankfurt, Milan, Dublin, Moscow, Geneva, Zurich, Paris, London City and London West End (Statista/Knight Frank).

Leadership in Innovation

The Spanish region with the highest outlay on research, development and innovation (25.8% of national total), representing 1.75% of the regional GDP.

2nd region in the EU-28 for technology-related employment: 242,000.

  • 36.8% of the Spanish high-tech jobs, Professionals Working in High-Tech Industrial and Services Sectors (2016).

Hub of the national R&D network: Madrid is home to 43 of the 135 main research centres and institutions of note dedicated to science in Spain.

  • Leader in R&D employment: 23,7% of total in Spain, and 2nd Region in Spain for spending on R&D.
  • Leading spender in Technological Innovation: 5.128 mill. €37% of National Total.
  • 72% of the world’s largest biomedical and pharmaceutical companies are in Madrid.

Leadership: ICT & Aeorspace Companies.

  • The headquarters of all the big telecommunications companies operating in Spain and nearly 50% of all IT firms are housed in Madrid.
  • One of the largest aeronautical clusters in Europe, accounting for 65% of sector turnover in Spain.

Madrid is the national leader in engineering:

  • 39% of companies, 75% of revenue and 47% of total employment in this sector.

A unique quality of life

Madrid holds excellent positions on the various scales ranking the quality of life and preferred places to live and work

  • (Cushman Wakefield, Financial Times/Harris, Monocle, Forbes, etc.). The 2014 Cost of Living Ranking, from the Mercer consulting group, shows Madrid to be one of the European cities where expatriates enjoy the lowest relative cost.
  • Madrid is one of the safest cities in Europe, standing with a very low crime rate: 36 public hospitals and 45 private healthcare facilities with 14,728 and 6,750 beds, respectively.
  • According to the World Economic Forum, Spain is the 2ndbest destination for expats.

 Education & Health Care

  • The quality of life in Madrid is unique, since it has an international education system that begins at primary school (more than 650 international schools and bilingual high schools), a universal health system and safety indexes that are among the highest in Europe.
  • Spain is classified as having the third most effective health system in the world, behind only Hong Kong and Singapore.

 Culture & Leisure 

  • The region also offers a wealth of leisure, cultural and sporting activities for all ages, several world heritage sites and some of the world’s best collections of art (Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia Museums), not forgetting the renowned Spanish cuisine and a vibrant night-life.
  • One of Madrid's biggest attractions is its abundance of bars, restaurants and terraces (+3,000, 20 of them with a Michelin star) always very busy from mid-morning to nightfall.
  • Madrid is 2nd best shopping Destination in Europe (Globe Shopper Index).
  • The Region of Madrid is one of the main European hotspots for sport. The Region has 4 first-division teams in the Spanish football league "La Liga": Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Leganés and Getafe.

Focus industries

Madrid is a major center for Aerospace, Automotive, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Plastics, Information Technology, Real Estate and Leisure & Tourism.

Learn about our Focus industries.