Spain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to show solid and sustained growth. This is highlighted in the GEM Spain 2025–2026 Report (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor), prepared by the Spanish Entrepreneurship Observatory with the support of Enisa, which confirms the expansion of entrepreneurship across all stages of the entrepreneurial process.
In a demanding international environment, Spain is maintaining its momentum and strengthening an increasingly established entrepreneurial culture. The report indicates that the number of people considering entrepreneurship as a career option continues to grow: the intention to start a business within the next three years has reached 13.8%, increasing by 2.6 percentage points and confirming the recovery following the stagnation observed the previous year.
This progress is also reflected in actual entrepreneurial activity. The Total Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate, which measures individuals leading businesses less than three and a half years old, stands at 7.8%, up by 0.6 percentage points. Established business ownership has also increased to 7.4% (up 1.4 points), demonstrating the growing maturity of Spain’s business landscape.
The dynamism of the ecosystem is also reflected in business turnover: while new initiatives continue to grow, business discontinuation through closure or transfer has increased slightly to 3.7%, indicating a more active and competitive environment.
According to Ana Fernández Laviada, President of the Spanish Entrepreneurship Observatory, “the percentage of the population expressing an intention to start a business within the next three years has increased by 2.6 percentage points, reaching 13.8%.”
Carolina Rodríguez, CEO of Enisa, noted that “entrepreneurial culture continues to gain ground in society, and interest among the population keeps growing, thanks in part to public policies aimed at fostering entrepreneurial talent, as well as the numerous public-private initiatives and partnerships operating throughout the country.”
The report reflects an increasingly balanced environment in which women and men engage in entrepreneurship at very similar rates (7% and 8%, respectively), reinforcing the trend toward greater equality.
Education also plays a significant role. Individuals with university degrees are twice as likely to express entrepreneurial intentions (60%) compared with those without higher education qualifications.
The report also highlights the dynamism of the migrant population, whose entrepreneurial activity rate reaches 13.8%—nearly double the national average—while entrepreneurial intention stands at 27%, underscoring their important contribution to economic development.
Technology continues to establish itself as one of the main drivers of entrepreneurship. In particular, the use of artificial intelligence is expanding: 29% of early-stage entrepreneurs report integrating AI broadly into their businesses, four percentage points more than the previous year.
However, other digital solutions continue to lead adoption rates, including e-commerce (46%), data analytics (40%), and cloud computing (40%).
In the medium term, the ecosystem remains cautiously optimistic. Expected AI adoption within the next three years reaches only 34%, while usage among established businesses remains lower at 19%, although it continues to grow.
While the overall results are positive, the report also identifies areas for improvement. Spain scores 4.4 out of 10 on the National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI), slightly higher than in 2024 but still within the lower half of the countries assessed.
This improvement is linked to the positive impact of public policies, particularly at the local level, where support programs help stimulate entrepreneurship, encourage female participation, and promote technological adoption.
Nevertheless, challenges remain, including strengthening entrepreneurship education, simplifying administrative procedures, and reducing barriers to market entry, the lowest-rated area in the report (3.8/10).
Public perception of entrepreneurship continues to improve. Fifty-nine percent of the population report knowing someone who has recently started a business—the highest level ever recorded and three times higher than 15 years ago.
Similarly, the perception of business opportunities is increasing among both entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs.
However, fear of failure remains a significant obstacle for 55% of the population, highlighting the need to continue strengthening entrepreneurial culture.
The services sector accounts for 85% of all new businesses created in 2025, consolidating its position as the main area of entrepreneurial opportunity.
More than half of these ventures incorporate innovation in products or processes and implement sustainable practices aimed at reducing environmental impact.
This reflects an entrepreneurial model that is increasingly aligned with current social, economic, and environmental demands.
The event also featured a roundtable discussion focused on senior entrepreneurship, highlighting the growing role of older entrepreneurs within an increasingly diverse and mature ecosystem.
Moderated by Iñaki Ortega (Ageingnomics), the panel included Loreto Fernández (GEM Galicia), Juan Fernández (Ageingnomics), Carmen Olmedo (winner of the TaleS 2025 program), and Manuel de Timoteo (founder of The Brubaker). Participants discussed the opportunities, challenges, and unique contributions of senior talent, emphasizing their experience, resilience, and ability to develop robust and sustainable business projects.
Enisa is a public company attached to Spain’s Ministry of Industry and Tourism. Its mission is to support innovative and viable projects developed by Spanish startups and SMEs, helping them grow and compete in global markets.
The organization provides participative loans ranging from €25,000 to €1.5 million without requiring collateral or guarantees beyond a solid business project and the professional solvency of the management team.
Enisa also acts as the certifying body for startups seeking to benefit from the incentives established under Spain’s Startup Law, a pioneering legislative framework in Europe.
In 2025, Enisa granted 514 loans totaling €86.2 million. The average financing operation amounted to approximately €167,000.
Since its creation, Enisa has provided 9,700 loans to more than 8,400 companies, representing total investment of €1.5 billion.
More information: comunicacion@enisa.es | www.enisa.es
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is an international research project and consortium coordinated globally by the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association (GERA). Currently comprising national research teams from more than 60 countries, GEM has been responsible since 1999 for the world’s most prestigious and comprehensive study of entrepreneurship.
Using a common measurement methodology, GEM has spent more than 25 years analyzing entrepreneurship and its environment, helping identify the factors that strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and contribute to economic development. Its reports and data serve as valuable tools for international comparison and are widely used as benchmarks and information sources worldwide.
Within this global framework, the Spanish Entrepreneurship Observatory serves as Spain’s national GEM team and is one of the consortium’s most active and productive members. Organized into 19 regional teams and 8 provincial teams covering the entire country, it brings together nearly 200 researchers and entrepreneurship experts from Spain’s leading universities.
With the support of Enisa and more than 100 institutions and companies, the regional teams produce annual reports and studies that help inform and inspire entrepreneurship policy development throughout Spain.
More information:
medios@observatoriodelemprendimiento.es |www.observatoriodelemprendimiento.es
Photo caption (left to right): Manuel de Timoteo, founder of The Brubaker; Loreto Fernández, GEM Galicia; Carmen Olmedo, founder of Menoara and winner of the TaleS 2025 program; Carolina Rodríguez, CEO of Enisa; Ana Fernández Laviada, President of the Spanish Entrepreneurship Observatory; Juan Fernández, Director of Ageingnomics; Nuria Calvo, Technical Director of the GEM Spain Project; and Iñaki Ortega, Advisory Board Member at Ageingnomics.
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