Foreign buyers take a record share of Spanish home purchases: 16% of transactions in Q3 2026

Foreign buyers are purchasing more homes in Spain than ever before, and their share of the market has never been so large. According to statistics from the Colegio de Registradores, in the third quarter of 2026 foreigners bought more than 26,300 residential properties, or 16.05% of all transactions. It is a historic record for their share, even though the market as a whole slowed down over the same period.

A record share, fewer transactions overall

The number of purchases by foreigners rose by 11.2% year on year in the third quarter. In absolute terms it was the third-best result in the history of the statistics: the record still belongs to the second quarter of 2026, when foreigners bought 26,836 properties, roughly 500 more than in the summer.

The backdrop is interesting, because the whole Spanish housing market is cooling. The registrars recorded 164,148 sales in the third quarter, 5.9% fewer than a year earlier, the third consecutive quarterly decline. There were 34,611 new-build sales and 129,537 resales. With the total number of transactions falling while purchases by foreigners rise, their share grows faster than the number of purchases itself. Over the last 12 months, foreigners accounted for 14.82% of purchases.

Who is buying: the British lead, Poles in the top eight

The British remain the largest group, but their lead is not huge. The top eight in the third quarter of 2026 were:

• British: 7.5% of purchases by foreigners (1,943 transactions),
• Moroccans: 6.4% (1,652),
• Dutch: 5.8% (1,515),
• Germans: 5.7% (1,481),
• Romanians: 5.7% (1,478),
• Italians: 5.0% (1,314),
• French: 4.2% (1,102),
• Poles: 4.2% (1,089).

Looking more broadly, buyers from the European Union accounted for 54.7% of purchases by foreigners, and buyers from other European countries for another 17.8%. Africa accounts for 9.4%, Asia for 7.3% and South America for 7.0%. It is also worth noting that buyers from North America pay the most: on average 4,469 euros per square metre, compared with 3,221 euros for buyers from EU countries.

Where foreigners buy most often

The geographic distribution is very uneven. The highest share of foreigners is recorded in the Balearic Islands (37.2% of all home purchases) and the Valencian Community (30.4%). They are followed by the Canary Islands (25.4%), Murcia (23%), Catalonia (17%) and Andalusia (16.2%).

At the provincial level, two regions stand out, and they are the ones that interest our clients most:

• Alicante: 46.5% of all transactions. More than 12,000 transactions were recorded in the province in the third quarter, so almost every second property went to a foreign buyer. It is the highest result in Spain at provincial level, higher even than in the Balearics,
• Málaga: 38.8%, which puts the Costa del Sol in second place among provinces. Málaga is also one of the most expensive provinces in the country, with an average price of 3,400 euros per square metre.

The next places went to the Balearic Islands (37.2%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (29%), Murcia (23%), Las Palmas (22.4%), Girona (21.4%), Almería (21%) and Tarragona (17.1%).

Prices are still rising

The market is slowing in the number of transactions, but not in prices. The repeat-sales housing price index (IPVVR) rose by 15.8% year on year according to the registrars and set a new record. The average price in Spain is 2,512 euros per square metre (+9.3% year on year): 2,462 euros for resales and 2,701 euros for new builds. The highest regional averages are in Madrid (4,565 euros per m²) and the Balearic Islands (4,502 euros per m²). In Catalonia the figure is 2,989 euros, and in the Canary Islands 2,850 euros per m².

What it means for buyers from Poland

The data shows two things. First, the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol are still places where foreign buyers are part of everyday life on the market, not an exception. In Alicante almost half of all transactions are purchases by foreigners, so a buyer from abroad enters a well-known process with experienced notaries and a market used to international clients. Second, price growth across the country means that good offers, especially close to the sea, can disappear quickly, and waiting does not always pay off.

If you are thinking of buying on the Costa Blanca or the Costa del Sol, World Residence presents offers from both the primary and the resale market, and as a buyer you do not pay us a commission. Browse our offers or write to us and we will match proposals to your budget.

Data source: Colegio de Registradores de España, Estadística Registral Inmobiliaria, Q3 2026 (data published in November 2026).