The Catalan economy grew by 2.6% in 2023, one tenth above Spain as a whole and almost half that of the previous year, according to statistics released this Wednesday by the Institute of Statistics of Catalonia (Idescat).
The figure represents a return to more normalized levels, since it grows almost half that of the last year and at rates similar to those close to 3% seen before covid. Catalonia came from two strong growths after the end of the pandemic, with an advance of 5.5% in 2022 and 6.2% in 2021. In 2020, the year of the virus outbreak, the economy collapsed 11.9%.
From the Idescat it is highlighted that it is above the EU (0.5%) or neighboring countries such as Germany (-0.3%), France (0.9%) or Italy (0.7%).
Moderation is proven if attention is paid to the different branches of the economy. Services rose 3.1%, from the previous 7.9%. Here the promotion of architecture, engineering, retail trade, computer services, air transportation or professional, scientific and technical activities, among others, stands out. The industry is up 2.8%, from the 2% drop in 2022, thanks to the motor sector, with the best sales in four years, and chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Construction, for its part, grows 2.5%, two points less than in 2022, in a year marked by rising rates and mortgages.
Agriculture is the discordant note, with its GDP falling by 17.6%, even worse than the 13.9% of the previous year. The drought will add even more pressure to the sector this year, which has started with mobilizations of the sector throughout the territory.
In the last quarter, the rebound in activity was 2.8% year-on-year, eight tenths above the national average and half a point better than the previous section or 2.2% in the second quarter. Only the first was better (3.3%). As has happened in the rest of Spain, consumption and dynamism at the end of the year rounded out the figures.
