Recent data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reveals that the Community of Madrid was among the regions with the most unfavorable evolution in services sector turnover in February 2026. The 1.2% drop compared to the same month last year sharply contrasts with the 1.6% increase recorded nationwide, placing Madrid 2.8 points below the Spanish average.
This setback highlights a challenging start to the year for a fundamental pillar of the regional economy. For the year-to-date in 2026, turnover in the region has decreased by 2%, while Spain as a whole has seen a 0.9% advance, widening the gap to 2.9 percentage points.
In the ranking of declines, only Galicia presented a more negative figure, with a 3.4% drop. Madrid ranked second, followed by Castilla y León, which recorded a 1.1% decrease. Conversely, Murcia, Navarra, and La Rioja led growth with increases of 5.9%, 5.8%, and 5.7% respectively.
Despite the decline in revenue, employment in Madrid's services sector shows remarkable resilience, with a 1.4% year-on-year growth in February, slightly exceeding the national average.
Despite these negative turnover results, the labor market in Madrid's services sector has maintained a positive trajectory. The employment index in February showed a year-on-year variation of 1.4%, slightly higher than the national average of 1.2%. This behavior suggests a certain strength in employment, even in a context of lower business revenues.
Nationally, the services sector recorded its twenty-third consecutive month of year-on-year sales growth in February. Overall turnover increased by 1.6%, a rate 1.4 points higher than in January. Within the sector, trade sales rose by 0.8%, while other services invoiced 2.9% more than in February of the previous year.
