The start of the war in Iran affected the Catalan economy little

BarcelonaThe first weeks of the war in Iran had a modest effect on the growth of the Catalan economy, which in the first quarter of this year continued to increase at a rate clearly higher than the average of the European Union countries, according to the gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the size of an economy) data for Catalonia for the first three months of 2025, released this Friday by Idescat, the statistical agency of the Generalitat.

Thus, the Catalan economy grew by 0.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. This represents a slowdown in the growth rate, as the quarterly growth rate between October and December last year was 0.9%. However, when compared to a year ago, the increase in activity in the first quarter was a notable 2.9%, three tenths more than the annual variation registered in the previous quarter.

Thus, Catalonia maintains the trend of the last two years, during which —just like the Spanish economy as a whole— it has been able to maintain growth levels much higher than the average of both the EU and the euro area countries, particularly the large economies of the continent, such as Germany, France, or Italy.

By sectors, construction was the one that grew the most, with 5.4% more activity than in the first quarter of 2025. Services, which represent more than two-thirds of the Catalan economy, grew by 3.7% annually, while the primary sector grew by 1.2%. Finally, industry, despite remaining in positive figures, was the productive sector that increased the least, with 0.6%, a result of the poor international economic outlook due to the war in the Persian Gulf.