Spain

Spain

Southern Europe

EuropeEUSchengen
68
Overall score
Strong overall
Language
Spanish
Currency
EUR
Citizenship
10 years
Personal tax
Up to 47% (+ regional)
Cost of living
€1,700 / mo (single)

Outstanding lifestyle, climate and culture with a modern Startup Law and digital-nomad visa, but a long 10-year citizenship path and generally no dual citizenship.

Pros

  • Excellent lifestyle & climate
  • Digital nomad visa + Beckham regime
  • Affordable public universities

Cons

  • 10-year naturalisation
  • Dual citizenship limited
  • High personal taxes

Best for

Remote workersStudentsLifestyle-first movers

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
96
Citizenship
47
Residence
58
Money & business
Taxes
42
Corporate tax
29
Business
44
Investment
53
Economy
80
Wealth building
55
Living, study & work
Education
87
Salary & work
59
Cost of living
63
Buying power
79
Quality of life
Safety
74
Healthcare
88
Infrastructure
82
HDI
92

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
96

Passport-index style mobility for the Spain passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

191 / 198
Mobility
#4
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free143
  • On arrival39
  • eTA9
  • Visa required7

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Moderate
47
Years required10
Dual allowedLimited (allowed for Ibero-American & a few countries; otherwise renounce)
LanguageA2 Spanish (DELE) + CCSE civics exam
Residence10 years legal residence (2 for Ibero-American nationals)
NotesCitizens of former colonies and Sephardic Jews enjoy reduced timelines and dual-nationality rights.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Moderate
58
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock18.5% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality0.62 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Digital Nomad VisaStartup Law entrepreneurNon-lucrative visaWork permit
StudentStudent visa; up to 30 hrs/week work allowed.
WorkHighly Qualified Professional & general work authorisations.
Self-employedAutónomo route or Startup Law entrepreneur visa via ENISA endorsement.
PermanentLong-term residence after 5 years.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Limited
42
Personal19–47%+ (state + region; up to ~54% in some regions)
Corporate25% (15% for new companies, first two profitable years)
Capital gains19% / 21% / 23% / 27% / 28% bands
DividendsSame savings-income bands (19–28%)
Exit taxYes: for large shareholdings on emigration
Foreign cosCFC rules apply
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Low
15
Personal19–47%+ (state + region; up to ~54% in some regions)
FreelanceAutónomo: monthly social-security quota by income bracket
Capital gains19% / 21% / 23% / 27% / 28% bands
DividendsSame savings-income bands (19–28%)
Exit taxYes: for large shareholdings on emigration
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Low
29
Corporate25% (15% for new companies, first two profitable years)
Capital gains19% / 21% / 23% / 27% / 28% bands
DividendsSame savings-income bands (19–28%)
Foreign cosCFC rules apply
Business
Business friendliness
Limited
44
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality0.62 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness1.11 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: full foreign ownership
Local co.S.L. (€3,000 capital, €1 under new rules); NIE required
FreelanceAutónomo: monthly social-security quota by income bracket
Corporate tax25% (15% for new companies, first two profitable years)
Capital gains19% / 21% / 23% / 27% / 28% bands
Exit taxYes: for large shareholdings on emigration
Foreign cosCFC rules apply
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Moderate
53
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap44% of GDP (2024)
Private credit74% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gainsSavings-income bands 19–28%; wealth & 'solidarity' taxes can apply
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxRegional wealth tax + state solidarity tax on large fortunes
BrokersGood: Interactive Brokers, DEGIRO, MyInvestor
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Excellent
80
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$1.7T (2024)
GDP / person$35,327 (2024)
GNI / person$57,670 PPP (2024)
GDP growth3.5% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation2.8% / yr (2024)
Unemployment10.4% (2025)
Output per worker$108,590 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture2.8% of GDP (2024)
Industry19.5% of GDP (2024)
Services68.9% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
TourismAutomotiveFood & agricultureRenewable energyTextiles & fashion
Top exports
Vehicles & partsFood & agricultural productsMachineryPharmaceuticals
TypeHigh-income, services- and tourism-led
Key sectorsTourism, Car manufacturing, Agri-food
SummaryA large diversified economy where tourism, carmaking and agri-food sit alongside growing renewables.
CurrencyEuro (eurozone member)
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Moderate
55
How this score is calculated

How favourable Spain is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Moderate
64
Business
Moderate
48
Investment
Moderate
60
Tax friendliness
Limited
42
Cost of living
Moderate
63

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Excellent
87
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling17.8 years (2023)
Mean schooling10.8 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment94% gross (2024)
Education spending4.6% of GDP (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Tuition€1,000–2,500 (EU) / €1,500–3,500 (non-EU public)
Public uniPer-credit pricing; low at public universities
LanguagesSpanish, English (growing)
Student workUp to 30 hrs/week with student stay authorisation
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Moderate
59
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$108,590 PPP (2024)
Unemployment10.4% (2025)
Participation57.4% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$2,737 · $4,297 PPP (2024)
Tech (IT & comms)$3,602 · $5,655 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceStrong nomad hubs (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Canaries)
Job marketBeckham regime offers 24% flat tax for qualifying new arrivals.
Cost of living
Affordability
Moderate
63

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level64 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent€900–1,500 (1BR major city)
Monthly€1,700
CitiesMadrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Good
79
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$57,670 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$28,622 PPP (2023)
Price level64 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality33.4 Gini (2023)
Inflation2.8% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Good
74
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate0.7 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law0.93 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption0.71 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability-0.00 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Excellent
88
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy83.9 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality3.2 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians4.29 per 1,000 (2022)
Hospital beds2.91 per 1,000 (2023)
Health spending$4,935 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemUniversal public + private
InsurancePublic via social security; private insurance for visas
Avg cost€600–1,200 / yr private cover
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Excellent
82
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use95.8% (2024)
Internet resilience70 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed93 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed69 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)
Grid losses8.3% of output (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality3.80 / 5 (2022)
Rail density31.9 km / 1,000 km² (2021)
Air connectivity13,562 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Excellent
92
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.918 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy83.7 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling17.8 years (2023)
Mean schooling10.8 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$46,008 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.