Spain lags behind the rest of Europe in high-tech exports: the percentage barely exceeds 8,5% compared to the EU's 17,3%.

A new report from the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club warns of the insufficient sophistication of Spain's export offerings. The analysis, prepared by Pablo López Gil, CEO of the Leading Brands of Spain Forum, indicates that international competitiveness relies too heavily on price and cost factors, urging a strategic shift towards intangible assets—such as brand, innovation, and R&D—to generate long-term value and reduce the significant technological gap with the European average.

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The diagnosis is clear: although the foreign sector has been a key driver of the Spanish economy, its capacity to generate added value and differentiation It is hampered by low investment in key elements of the 21st century economy.

According to Technical Note From the Exporters Club, the percentage of Spanish exports that correspond to high tech products is situated in a modest 8,5% of the total. This figure contrasts sharply with the average of 17,3% of the European Union and it lags far behind powers such as the Netherlands (20%), France (17%) or Germany (15%).

The author of the document, Pablo López Gil, acknowledges the progress, but underlines the gap: “Although the percentage of Spanish high-tech exports relative to the total has risen from 5,5% to 8,5% in recent years"We are still far from the EU average."

This deficit is explained by a insufficient investment in R&DThe data speaks for itself: Spain invested the 1,49% of GDP in 2023, a figure significantly lower than European average of 2,22%.

The need to invest in intangibles

The report also highlights another weakness: the low domestic value added of exports, especially in manufacturing, where only 65,2% of the total value is generated internally.

According to López Gil, the main cause of this situation is the “insufficient investment in intangible assets by our economy”These assets—which include patents, trademarks, designs, with or specialized training— are the true drivers of competitiveness, enabling companies differentiate yourself, attract talent and compete for quality instead of by price.

The strategic message is clear: “The future of Spain’s foreign trade sector will depend less on how much it exports, and more importantly, what it exports and how it does it do itInvesting in intangibles is not just a business strategy: it must be a state policy to consolidate Spain's role in the global economy."

Three key steps for technological takeoff

The Technical Note not only diagnoses, but also proposes a roadmap with three concrete measures to reverse the trend and raise the level of sophistication of the export offer:

Awareness and Training: Develop a specific program on strategic management of intangibles, focused primarily on the SMEs.
Fiscal Incentives: Extend R&D investment incentives to other intangible assets, simplifying instruments such as R&D tax credits and the Patent Box.
Specific Funding: Create financial instruments (IP-based finance) that facilitate the use of the intangibles as collateral (collateral) to obtain public and private funding.

The analysis concludes that, while current low investment limits Spain's capacity to innovate and compete, it also represents a great strategic opportunity to give a qualitative leap in productivity and international positioning.