Note

Foreign buyers of Spanish property: the figures

§ 1What the registrars count

The Colegio de Registradores publishes a quarterly statistic built from the sales that reach the property registers. For the second quarter of 2026 it reports 167,934 home sales and states that purchases by foreigners had a weight of 15.98%. The release puts the number of such purchases at a little over about 26,800. This page belongs to the chapter in the chapter on the market overview.

§ 2Who is a foreigner here

The registrars classify buyers by nationality. A French national who has lived in Valencia for ten years counts as a foreigner, and so does a German who buys a holiday home from Frankfurt. So the share mixes two very different groups: foreigners who live in Spain and buy as residents, and people who live elsewhere. Do not read it as the share bought by non-residents.

§ 3A series maximum

The registrars describe 15.98% as the maximum of their historical series. Their release compares it with an earlier quarter, but its executive summary and its detailed section name different comparison quarters for the same figure, so we do not quote the change. Check the release before citing a comparison. For more on the nationalities involved, see more on nationalities of buyers.

§ 4Other sources

The notaries’ council publishes its own statistics on purchases by foreigners. For the first half of 2026 its news page reports 62,327 purchases of free-market homes by foreigners, 13.0% fewer than a year earlier and the largest first-half fall since 2020, and a foreign share of 18.3% of sales, against 19.2% in 2025. Press reports of the full release, which we could not check against the council’s own tables, say that purchases by non-residents fell more steeply than those by foreigners who live in Spain. The registrars count registered deeds by nationality in a single quarter and call their latest share a series maximum, while the notaries count signed sales over six months and report a fall in the number of foreign buyers. Notarised and registered deals are counted at different points, so do not set one against the other.

§ 5What the central bank says

The Bank of Spain’s spring 2026 stability report lists demand of about about 225,000 net new households and roughly roughly 55,000 gross purchases by non-residents, against about about 92,000 completions in 2025. That is a statement about sources of demand, not a measure of how much foreign buying has raised prices. The report is discussed in more on the risk of a price fall.

§ 6What it means for you

A high foreign share tells you that you will meet other foreign buyers, that agents and lawyers are used to them and that the process is routine. It tells you little about the town you want. In some places foreigners are the majority of buyers, and in others nearly absent. Look for local figures, which the registrars also publish by region.

§ 7Policy

Foreign purchases are also the subject of political proposals. The chapter on rules and policy separates what is law from what is only proposed.

§ 8A note on timing

The registrars’ release describes April to June 2026 and appeared in August 2026. By the time you read it, the next quarter is already over. Treat the share as a recent photograph, and look at the next release when it arrives.

§ 9More on this topic

More on the official statistics explains which statistics to use and how to read them and more on the rental market explains what official sources say about rents.

More on whether Spain has a bubble explains how today compares with the years before 2008.

General information only. This is not legal, tax or financial advice. Check your own situation with a qualified adviser.