Madrid, 25 November 2025
The Elcano Royal Institute has presented data on the geographical distribution of Spain’s global presence, making use of the Elcano Global Presence Index. This tool measures the external projection of countries in the economic, military and soft power spheres, and on this occasion includes a specific analysis of our global presence by geographical areas, as well as the main partners in each region.
The analysis shows a stronger recovery after the pandemic than that of many European partners, although Spain’s global presence is still lower than in 2010. That year marked a historic peak, ending a period of notable growth in external projection that Spain had experienced since the 1990s.
Europe accounts for more than half of Spain’s global presence
The European Union and the rest of Europe together account for almost 55% of Spain’s global presence, underscoring the central role of the region in Spain’s foreign relations. The EU represents 38.7% of that total, compared with 16.2% for the rest of the continent.
Within the EU, four countries stand out: France (8.5%), Germany (5.8%), Italy (3.6%) and Portugal (3.5%). Taken together, these four partners account for 21.5% of Spain’s global presence.
Outside the Union, the United Kingdom continues to play a prominent role, accounting for nearly 8% of Spain’s external projection. Although its share has declined since Brexit (from 10.4% in 2015), it remains Spain’s second-largest market for services exports, the second destination for Spanish outward investment, and the leading source of tourism and immigration to Spain.
Despite Europe’s clear predominance, Spain’s external projection is now more diversified than it was in the 1990s, in line with an External Action Strategy that prioritises a growing number of partners and regions.
Latin America, the third most important region for Spain
Latin America remains one of Spain’s most relevant regions, accounting for 13% of its global presence in 2024 and ranking as the third most important area for Spain’s international projection. Within the region, Mexico (3.1%), Brazil (2.3%) and Argentina (1.1%) stand out as the main partners.
North America strengthens its position, with the United States as its main partner
Ties with North America have strengthened over time and account for 8.2% of Spain’s global presence in 2024, driven by its economic dimension (6.4%), followed by the soft power dimension (1.8%).
The United States, the third destination for Spain’s economic outreach and the main recipient of Spanish investment abroad, is the top destination for Spain’s global presence (7.5%). The US also stands out as the second destination for our soft power presence, with a significant impact in the sports, scientific and technological fields.
Other geographical areas:
- The data show the importance of ties with Africa, with a 10.9% global presence, ahead of Asia or North America, with differentiated profiles between the northern and sub-Saharan regions, and conditioned by military capacity.
- The projection towards Asia remains low, with a 6.9% external projection in 2024, less than half of that for Latin America and below Africa. Presence in the region is highly concentrated in China (2.2%), India (0.6%), Japan (0.6%) and South Korea (0.5%).
Additional data on the geographical breakdown by Spain’s Autonomous Communities are available in Where is Spain? Analysing Spain’s Global Presence from a geographical perspective. For further information please contact the Press Department of the Elcano Royal Institute at prensa@rielcano.org.