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Barcelona - 30 December 2018 2.00 h

The past year in numbers

While the main economic figures for 2018 show a marked recovery in the wake of the recession, they are more a cause for cautious optimism rather than euphoria

- Barcelona

Statistics by themselves never tell the whole story, but the figures for the year tell us that unemployment is going down, inflation is under control, exports continue to be a driver of the economy and that Catalonia is an attractive place for investors and businesses.

Though the registration of new vehicles stalled, the population continues to grow, and stands at 7.5 million people, with migration bringing in an extra 47,549 residents, and the birth rate higher than that of deaths, albeit by very little.

394,405 unemployed

At the end of November, the jobless figures stood at 394,405 people, 6.6% less than the previous year. The figure is higher than the 369,124 job seekers registered in July, during the holiday season.

1.9% inflation

The Consumer Price Index in November showed annual growth of 1.9%, five decimal points lower than October, said Spain’s National Institute of Statistics. Higher prices most affected housing, alcohol and tobacco, and food.

€645m in investment

Gross foreign investment was 645.6 million euros in the second quarter of 2018, some 16% less than in the same period the year before. Yet, this was less than the 21.7% drop experienced in Spain as a whole.

€36.6bn in exports

In the first half of the year, exports by Catalan firms reached the record figure of 36.659 billion euros. Exports from Catalonia make up 25.3% of the total for Spain as a whole.

171,521 new vehicles

Registrations of new vehicles fell between January and November by 1.7%, or 171,521 new vehicles sold in this period. The drop was most noticeable from September, when new rules on emissions were introduced.

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