Navarra’s agri-food industry has doubled its sales over the past decade, rising from €3.3 billion in 2015 to €6.624 billion in 2024, according to the latest data from the Company Structural Survey compiled by the Navarra Institute of Statistics (Nastat). This growth places the sector ahead of the automotive industry — which recorded sales of €6.577 billion that same year — and consolidates it as the Navarrese region’s primary industrial driver.
A sector leading job creation and wealth generation
The 450 registered agri-food companies in Navarra currently employ 19,305 people — 7,300 more than a decade ago — accounting for 25% of total employment across the industrial sector as a whole. When the broader ecosystem is considered — farming, processing, logistics, innovation and ancillary services — estimates exceed 1,200 companies and 35,000 jobs.
Beyond the sheer volume, it is worth noting where this employment is being created: in rural areas, with a presence spread across much of Navarra’s geography that acts as a brake on depopulation and sustains economic activity in rural municipalities.
In terms of wealth generated, the agri-food industry reached a Gross Value Added (GVA) of €1.318 billion in 2024 — €100 million more than the previous year — representing 20.8% of the total value of Navarra’s industrial sector, five percentage points higher than in 2020. Within the regional GDP as a whole, the sector contributes 5%.
Innovation and resilience in a challenging environment
The growth of Navarra’s agri-food industry is all the more significant given the context in which it has been achieved: geopolitical instability, international conflicts that have driven up raw material prices, and tariff tensions that have raised production costs. Despite all this, the sector has maintained a sustained upward trajectory, with GVA growth of 77% between 2020 and 2024 — well above the 31.9% recorded by industry as a whole over the same period.
The sector’s profile is also evolving. Alongside the long-established large preserving companies, egg and poultry producers, internationally operating frozen vegetable processors and a world-leading manufacturer of artificial casings for meat products, new profiles are emerging with growing prominence: technology, automation, data analytics and food innovation, reflecting the digital transformation underway across the industry.
With more than 450 active companies — 25 of them employing over a hundred people — and a sustained growth trajectory that places it as the highest-performing branch of Navarra’s economy, the agri-food industry stands today as one of the most attractive sectors for investment in the region.
Source: Diario de Navarra