Navarre
Navarre shows industrial-fiscal synergy: manufacturing at 25.8% of GDP (highest in Spain) and 3rd-highest per capita income through automotive and wind turbine production.
Navarre demonstrates how fiscal autonomy, like the Basque Country's, enables distinctive development trajectories. With GDP per capita of €33,798—third highest in Spain and 20% above the national average—the region joins only Madrid and the Basque Country in exceeding 125% of EU average income. Manufacturing represents 25.8% of GDP, the highest proportion of any Spanish region, with industrial output overall at 31% of GDP (13 points above national average).
Three integrated industrial clusters drive this performance. The automotive sector represents 25% of industrial GDP, employing 13,000 workers directly across 120 companies generating €6.5 billion turnover; vehicles account for 46% of total exports. Renewable energy is third largest (after automotive and agrifood), with 110 companies, 10% of industrial employment, and €4.5 billion turnover (5% of regional GDP). Siemens Gamesa and Nordex-Acciona Windpower produce wind turbines in a complete value chain, making renewables the second-largest export sector.
The Navarra Green Hydrogen Agenda targets 150 MW of installed electrolysis capacity by 2030, positioning the region for next-generation energy technology. Pamplona's location—equidistant from Bilbao, Zaragoza, and French airports—enables high-speed rail connections to Madrid and Barcelona. Unemployment may fall to 7.4% in 2025, though employment growth lags the national average outside the capital area. Navarre shows how manufacturing intensity combined with fiscal autonomy creates prosperity that Spain's service-dependent coastal economies cannot replicate.