Castilla-La Mancha

• The 2.1 million inhabitants of Castilla-La Mancha account for 4.3% of the country’s total population, making it the ninth most highly populated region.
• The region’s GDP (53.929 billion euros) is equivalent to 3.6% of Spanish GDP and it also ranks ninth among all regions.
• GDP per capita (25,758 euros) is the fourth lowest in the country and 16.8% below the national average. There are significant differences between provinces: Toledo’s GDP per capita is 22.6% lower than it is in Cuenca.
• In terms of sectoral composition, agriculture stands out with 8.2% of Castilla-La Mancha’s GDP, the highest percentage of all regions: it is a clear leader in wine production, accounting for a little over half of all national output. The manufacturing industry is also of higher relative importance (15.6% vs. 11.9% in Spain), as is the extractive industry (9.2% vs. 4.2%). In contrast, industry-related services provide 19.3% of GDP (vs. 29.7%).
• Although exports of goods make a smaller contribution than they do on average in Spain (18.2% of GDP vs. 25.6%), the significant increase recorded in recent years reflects the region’s international expansion efforts. It accounts for a small proportion of all Spanish exports, just 2.8% in 2024 (10.692 billion euros): over a third of these are agri-food products, in particular beverages (10.0% of the total), with wine being the biggest contributor; these are followed by chemical products (10.9%), especially pharmaceuticals and electrical appliances (7.0%). 21% of beverages exported from Spain come from this region.

In 2024, we estimate that Castilla-La Mancha’s GDP grew by 2.7%, slightly less than in Spain as a whole (3.2%), mainly hampered by weak industrial activity. Positives include the strength of consumption, the contribution of public expenditure, a buoyant construction sector - thanks to investment in infrastructure and housing - and the recovery in agricultural production, now that the effects of the drought have been overcome.

For 2025, CaixaBank Research’s forecasts point to GDP growth of 2.0%, which is slightly lower than in the country as a whole (2.5%). Easing inflation, falling interest rates and a buoyant labour market will support household spending. Moreover, construction will continue to drive growth and agricultural activity will remain on a positive path. However, activity in the tertiary sector will decline and adjustments are required in the public accounts.

Employment in Castilla-La Mancha is evolving positively, although it is somewhat less dynamic than in the country as a whole. In 2024, the number of registered workers affiliated to Social Security rose by 1.8% on average (2.4% in Spain), with the pace accelerating slightly at the start of this year (2.0% year-on-year in February vs. 2.4%): over the last year, job creation in professional activities, hotels and restaurants and, above all, transportation has been outstanding, whereas there have been job losses in the energy sector. In terms of the unemployment rate, in Q4 2024 the figures were higher than they were for the country as a whole (11.9% vs. 10.6%).

In recent years, consumption has performed more strongly than it has on average nationally, which is reflected in the volume of retail trade: after strong figures in 2024 (2.5% vs. 2.1% in Spain), growth picked up sharply this year to 4.9% year-on-year in January, well above average (2.3%). These positive figures are in contrast to the continuing decline in passenger car registrations, both in 2024, when it had the second lowest figures in the country (–9.5% vs. 7.1%), and in the first few months of 2025 (–2.3% year-on-year up to vs. 8.4%).

In recent years, the performance of industrial activity has been somewhat more subdued than it has nationally, against a backdrop of weakening global demand. Thus, in 2024, with all industrial sectors performing poorly apart from capital goods, the IPI fell by 0.5%, while it grew by 0.7% across Spain as a whole. Early figures for 2025 may signal an upturn in the sector: in January, growth stood at 3.5% year-on-year, compared with a decline of 1.0% nationwide.

Exports of goods are performing better than in the country as a whole. In 2024, they rose by 8.8%, whereas they stagnated nationally. This was thanks to rising sales of capital goods (chiefly office equipment and engines), semi-finished goods (tyres and inner tubes) and food (oils, fruit and pulses). Growth picked up further at the start of 2025: 17.5% year-on-year in January (–1.2% in Spain), the highest figure across all regions.