Mortgage interest rates in Spain soared in 2022, after falling below 1.5 percent at the end of 2021. In the second quarter of 2024, the average weighted interest rate stood at 3.46 percent. That was lower than the rate in the same period the previous year. Despite the increase, Spain had a considerably lower mortgage interest rate than many other European countries.The aftermath of the property bubble Before the bursting of the real estate bubble, the housing market experienced a period of intense activity. A context marked by economic growth, high employment rate, low interest rates, skyrocketing house prices and land speculation, among others, encourage massive lending for the acquisition of property; in 2005 alone, more than 1.3 million home mortgages were granted in Spain. When the bubble burst and the financial crisis hit the country, residential real estate transactions plummeted and households’ non-performing loans jumped to nearly 50 billion euros as countless families were not able to cope with their debts. Over a decade after the onset of the crisis, and despite falling mortgage rates, the volume of mortgage loans keeps decreasing every year. A homeowner country Traditionally, Spain has been a country of homeowners; in 2021, the homeownership rate was roughly 76 percent. While nearly half of Spanish households own their property with no outstanding payment, the percentage of households that have loan or mortgage pending has been decreasing in recent years. Despite ownership remaining as the preferred tenure option, cultural changes, job insecurity and mounting house prices are prompting Spaniards to opt more and more to become tenants instead of owners, as shown in the changing dynamics of the Spanish residential rental market.

The average mortgage interest rate in Spain followed a downward trend for almost a decade before increasing dramatically in 2022. In 2023, new housing loans had an average interest rate of 3.74 percent - about three times the interest rate in 2020. Mortgages with a five to 10-year term were the only product which saw rates decline between 2022 and 2023. Why did mortgage rates spike? Macroeconomic factors, such as inflation, economic growth, and fiscal policy, play a major role in determining the cost of a loan. Inflation in Europe started rising in late 2021, largely due to surging energy costs. In Spain, the annual change of the consumer price index peaked at almost 11 percent in July 2023. The European Central Bank has responded by introducing a series of hikes on the key interest rates (main refinancing operations, marginal lending facility, and deposit facility), which have affected lending rates across the European Union. How has the housing market reacted to the interest rate hike? The housing market follows a certain seasonality, with more home sales in the second and fourth quarters of the year. This was also the case in 2022, but the last quarter of the year saw an annual decline. Though compared to previous years, the number of transactions was one of the highest, the annual decrease shows a potential downturn.

Key information about Spain Long Term Interest Rate

• Spain Long Term Interest Rate: Month Avg: Spain: ECB Harmonised was reported at 3.10 % pa in Feb 2025, compared with 3.17 % pa in the previous month.
• Spain Long Term Interest Rate data is updated monthly, available from Nov 1991 to Feb 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 13.00 % pa in Oct 1992 and a record low of 0.04 % pa in Dec 2020.
• Long Term Interest Rate is reported by reported by CEIC Data.

The European Central Bank provides monthly Harmonised Long Term Interest Rate. The data reflects primary market yields.


Related information about Spain Long Term Interest Rate

• In the latest reports, Spain Short Term Interest Rate: Month End: EURIBOR: 3 Months was reported at -0.57 % pa in Nov 2021.
• The cash rate (Policy Rate: Month End: Main Refinancing Operations) was set at 2.90 % pa in Feb 2025.
• Spain Exchange Rate against USD averaged 0.92 (USD/EUR) in Jun 2023.

The annual average interest rate on new residential loans in Spain continued to rise in 2023, after increasing in for the first time in 2022 following a decade long period of year-on-year decrease. In 2023, the average mortgage rate was 3.75 percent, up from 1.49 percent in 2021.

Mortgage interest rates in Europe soared in 2022 and remained elevated in 2023. In many countries, this resulted in interest rates more than doubling. In Denmark, the average mortgage interest rate rose from 0.67 percent in 2021 to 4.98 percent in 2023. Why did mortgage interest rates increase? Mortgage rates have risen as a result of the European Central Bank (ECB) interest rate increase. The ECB increased its interest rates to tackle inflation. As inflation calms, the ECB is expected to cut rates, which will allow mortgage lenders to reduce mortgage interest rates. What is the impact of interest rates on homebuying? Lower interest rates make taking out a housing loan more affordable, and thus, encourage homebuying. That can be seen in many countries across Europe: In France, the number of residential properties sold rose in the years leading up to 2021, and fell as interest rates increased. The number of houses sold in the UK followed a similar trend.

The benchmark interest rate in Spain was last recorded at 4.50 percent. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Spain Interest Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The average mortgage interest rate decreased in nearly every country in Europe between 2012 and 2021, followed by an increase in response to inflation. In Hungary, Poland, Czechia, and Romania, mortgage rates peaked in late 2022 and the beginning of 2023, followed by a gradual decline until the first quarter of 2024. The rest of the countries under observation, including the biggest mortgage markets - the UK and Germany, saw a continued increase in interest rates until the fourth quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, mortgage interest rates declined quarter-on-quarter across almost all markets in focus, marking a long awaited easing of monetary policy.

Spain Mortgage Lending Rate: Over 3 Years: Average: Banks and Savings Banks data was reported at 1.932 % pa in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.891 % pa for Sep 2018. Spain Mortgage Lending Rate: Over 3 Years: Average: Banks and Savings Banks data is updated monthly, averaging 4.553 % pa from Nov 1990 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 336 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.920 % pa in Jan 1991 and a record low of 1.854 % pa in Jul 2018. Spain Mortgage Lending Rate: Over 3 Years: Average: Banks and Savings Banks data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Spain. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Spain – Table ES.M009: Mortgage Rate.

This dataset provides values for INTEREST RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The statistics show the evolution of the official five-year Interest Rate Swap (IRS) between August 2015 and August 2016. This reference index for mortgage rates quoted negative from June 2016 and reached value of -0.14% in July 2016.

Bank Lending Rate in Spain decreased to 3.21 percent in January from 4.09 percent in December of 2024. This dataset provides - Spain Bank Rate on Loans to Non Financial Corporations - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Mortgage rates in the Netherlands increased sharply in 2022 and 2023, after declining gradually between 2008 and 2021. In December 2022, the average interest rate for new mortgage loans stood at 1.65 percent, and by the end of 2023, it had risen to 4.13 percent. The 10-year interest rate was the lowest, at 2.96 percent; the floating and less than one-year interest rates amounted to 5.13 and 4.62 percent, respectively. In early 2024, mortgage rates decreased notably. Are mortgage rates in the Netherlands different from those in other European countries? When comparing this ranking to data that covers multiple European countries, the Netherlands’ mortgage rate was similar to the rates found in Spain, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. It was, however, a lot lower than the rates in Eastern Europe. Hungary and Romania, for example, had some of the highest mortgage rates. For more information on the European mortgage market and how much the countries differ from each other, please visit this dedicated research page. How big is the mortgage market in the Netherlands? The Netherlands has overall seen an increase in the number of mortgage loans sold and is regarded as one of the countries with the highest mortgage debt in Europe. The reason behind this is that Dutch homeowners were able to for many years to deduct interest paid from pre-tax income (a system known in the Netherlands as hypotheekrenteaftrek). Total mortgage debt of Dutch households has been increasing year-on-year since 2013.

In 2023, the average mortgage rates in European countries varied from 2.6 percent in Bulgaria to over eight percent in Hungary. The mortgage rate for a home purchase is decided depending on the individual situation of the homebuyer, their credit history, and income, but they also follow macro determinants including the base lending rate, inflation, economic growth, and the health of the housing market. Starts, completions and prices The supply of new housing varies in different countries in Europe. In 2023, the number of new housing units completed per 1,000 citizens was between 0.8 and seven, with this number varying greatly in different countries. Ireland and Poland were among the countries with most completed housing units. When it comes to housing starts, Ireland tops the ranking. The average transaction price of a new dwelling in 2023 ranged anywhere from roughly 1,300 euros per square meter to under 5,000 euros per square meter. Housing stock As the most populous country in Europe, Germany has the largest housing stock. Comparing the number of housing units per 1,000 citizens is an easy way to identify housing shortages. In Greece and the UK, for example, the number of dwellings per 1,000 citizens measured less than 400, compared to Bulgaria and Spain, where it was around 600.

The mortgage credit interest rate is the average interest rate on mortgage loan products offered to individuals and households by the commercial banks in the country. The mortgage credit is a loan used to finance the purchase of real estate. The table shows the latest available data from the national authorities as well as the values from three months ago and one year ago. The data are updated continuously.

The number of residential mortgages constituted in Spain has slowly increased year-on-year since 2013, but as of 2022, it remained shy from the levels before the market crash. In 2022, about 464,000 mortgages were constituted, up from about 200,000 in 2013. Among the drivers of the recovery were the record-low mortgage rates during that period.

The mortgage interest rate in Sweden rose dramatically in 2022, following a long period of mortgages maintaining rates below two percent. In the second quarter of 2024, the average weighted interest rate stood at 4.53 percent, more than three percentage points above the rate in the fourth quarter of 2021. In Europe, Sweden ranked alongside Spain, Hungary, and Poland.  Homeownership in Sweden   The homeownership rate in Sweden did not vary significantly over the period from 2008 to 2019. It peaked in 2010 and slightly fluctuated the following years. The rate was lowest in 2019, amounting to roughly 63.6 percent. Profile of the European homeowner  Swedes, Germans, Austrians, Turks, and Danes are the European citizens for who homeownership was the least common. Romania was the country with the highest homeownership rate among selected European countries in 2021, followed by Slovakia. Both countries had a rate higher than 92 percent. In general, it seemed to be more common to own a home in Eastern European countries than in the Western part of the continent.

Key information about Spain Non Performing Loans Ratio

• Spain Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 3.3 % in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 3.4 % in the previous month
• Spain Non Performing Loans Ratio data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1962 to Dec 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 13.6 % in Dec 2013 and a record low of 0.3 % in Oct 1962

CEIC calculates Non Performing Loans Ratio from monthly Credit Institutions Delinquent Accounts and Total Loans. Banco de España provides Credit Institutions Delinquent Accounts and Total Loans in EUR. Banco de España defines Delinquent Accounts as loans in relation to which there is a reasonable doubt regarding full repayment of principal or interest. Non Performing Loans covers Domestic loans only. Credit Institutions Loans exclude loans to credit institutions and general government.


Further information about Spain Non Performing Loans Ratio

• In the latest reports, Money Supply M2 in Spain increased 5.2 % YoY in Jan 2025
• Spain Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 61.4 USD bn in Jan 2025
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 1.6 Months of Import in Nov 2024
• The country's Domestic Credit reached 2,238.5 USD bn in Nov 2024, representing an drop of 0.4 % YoY
• Household Debt of Spain reached 808.2 USD bn in Jun 2024, accounting for 48.9 % of the country's Nominal GDP

The United Kingdom, Germany, and France were the countries with the largest mortgage markets in Europe in 2024, when considering the value of loans outstanding. In the second quarter of the year, the UK had more than 1.9 billion euros worth of mortgages outstanding. Other countries with large mortgage markets included the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Italy - all exceeding 400 billion euros. One of the main drivers of mortgage activity is the cost of borrowing. In 2022, interest rates increased dramatically across Europe. Ireland, and Germany remained among the few countries with an average interest rate under four percent.

The mortgage prevalence among homeowners in Europe varied widely across different countries in 2023. About 79 percent of the total population in Norway was a homeowner, with 60 percent paying out a mortgage loan. Conversely, only one percent of households in Romania had a mortgage, with nearly 96 percent being homeowners. Meanwhile, an average of 25 percent of the total population within the EU-27 was an owner-occupant with a mortgage or housing loan. Homeownership depends on multiple factors, such as housing policy, the macroeconomic situation, the state of the housing sector, and the availability of finance. Countries with more developed mortgage markets tend to have lower mortgage interest rates.

European Union central banks navigated a complex economic landscape between 2022 and 2025, with interest rates initially rising across member states. However, a pivotal shift occurred in late 2023 as most countries began lowering their rates, reflecting the delicate balance between controlling inflation and supporting economic growth. In the Euro area, the European Central Bank (ECB) led this trend by cutting interest rates from 4.5 percent to 3.15 percent in 2024, implementing four strategic rate reductions throughout the year. This approach was nearly universally adopted, with Poland being the sole EU country not reducing its rates during this period. Global context and policy shifts The interest rate changes in the EU mirror similar movements in other major economies. The United States, United Kingdom, and European Union central banks followed remarkably similar patterns from 2003 to 2024, responding to shared global economic conditions. After maintaining near-zero rates following the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, these institutions sharply raised rates in 2022 to combat surging inflation. By mid-2024, the European Central Bank and Bank of England initiated rate cuts, with the Federal Reserve following suit. Varied approaches within the EU Despite the overall trend, individual EU countries have adopted diverse strategies. Hungary, for instance, set the highest rate in the EU at 13 percent in September 2023, gradually reducing it to 6.5 percent by September 2024. In contrast, Sweden implemented the most aggressive cuts, lowering its rate to 2.25 percent by February 2025, the lowest among EU members. These divergent approaches highlight the unique economic challenges faced by each country and the flexibility required in monetary policy to address specific national circumstances.