Spanish Bioeconomy: Employment, Value, and Transition to Circular Systems

The Spanish bioeconomy spans food and agriculture, forestry, water, bioenergy, and biomaterials, contributing €69 billion in value-added and employing 1.44 million people. It accounts for 6–7% of GDP and 9% of national employment. The food, feed, and beverages sector is the largest by turnover (55.8%), followed by agriculture (23.5%). Forestry, though only 1% of turnover, is vital for biomass supply and climate resilience. Despite progress, linear production systems persist. Data from JRC 2022 and Lasarte-López et al. 2023 show sectoral contributions and highlight the transition toward sustainability.