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The National Commission on Markets and Competition released fresh data showing how Spanish consumers shop online and where their money goes. The results paint a clear picture of growing appetite for cross-border purchases.
€25.7 Billion in Sales
Total online sales hit €25,752 million in Q1 2025, up 18.2% from the same period in 2024. Shoppers made more than 474 million transactions, which works out to 14.9% more purchases than last year.
Travel agencies and tour operators brought in the biggest slice of revenue at 9.4%, with airlines close behind at 6.7%. Looking at raw transaction numbers instead of euros, gambling and betting sites took the lead with 8.5% of all purchases.
More Money Leaving Than Coming In
Breaking down the numbers by location shows 43.5% of revenue stayed within Spain, while 56.5% went to foreign retailers. That left Spain with a trade deficit of €11,237 million – Spanish shoppers sent that much more money abroad than foreign buyers spent here.
The gap looks even wider when counting individual purchases rather than euros. Only 34.3% of transactions happened between Spanish buyers and Spanish sellers. The other 65.7% went across borders.
Spanish Shoppers Love EU Sites
Spaniards spent €14,562 million on foreign websites during Q1, a 14.6% increase from last year. Nearly all of that money – 94.2% – went to stores in other EU countries.
Financial services pulled in 10.1% of what Spanish shoppers spent abroad. Clothing came second at 8.7%.
Foreign Buyers Spend on Tourism
Sales to foreign buyers on Spanish sites reached €3,325 million, up 21.7% year-on-year. Most of those buyers – 62.7% – came from other EU countries.
Tourism ate up the biggest chunk of foreign spending in Spain. Travel bookings, flights, ground transport, car rentals and hotels together accounted for 63.6% of what overseas buyers spent on Spanish websites.
Domestic Market Keeps Growing
Sales between Spanish buyers and Spanish sellers grew even faster at 23.8%, reaching €7,866 million. Government services including tax payments and social security made up 7.4% of domestic online spending.
The data shows Spanish consumers increasingly prefer shopping on international platforms, especially those in the EU. This pattern keeps pushing the e-commerce trade gap wider despite strong overall growth.
