Statistics reveal a sustained upward trend in the contracting of housing mortgages in Catalonia since mid-2024. This increase significantly intensified during April, a move that preceded the European Central Bank's (ECB) decision to raise interest rates in June.
The average capital granted per mortgage loan stood at 195,060 euros in April, representing a 9.3% increase compared to the same period last year, when the average was 178,413 euros. In total, the volume of capital allocated to these mortgages reached 1,464 million euros, a 29.6% increase compared to April of the previous year.
At the Catalan level, almost 1,200 more mortgages were registered in April than the previous year, surpassing the mark of 7,500 signings. Despite this growth, figures remain below the levels seen before the outbreak of the real estate bubble, when over 20,000 operations were exceeded in April 2005.
By provinces, Girona leads the year-on-year increase with 34.8% more mortgages signed in April (814 operations). Tarragona follows with a 20.5% growth (823 mortgages), and Barcelona with 17.2% (5,562 operations). Lleida shows more moderate growth of 2.3%, with 307 signings. Regarding the average amount, Barcelona leads the highest credits (210,253 euros, +9.1%), followed by Girona (176,070 euros, +8.3%), Tarragona (137,758 euros, +12.9%), and Lleida (123,782 euros, +11.9%).
In a state comparison, Catalonia ranks as the second autonomous community with the most significant increase in mortgage credits in April, surpassed only by Castilla-La Mancha (18.7%). In absolute terms, Catalonia leads the ranking with 7,506 mortgages, followed by Andalusia (7,460), Madrid (6,305), and the Valencian Community (4,833).
Nationally, the number of mortgages constituted on housing rose by 2.3% in April compared to the same month in 2025, reaching 40,010 loans, the highest figure for an April since 2010. This represents 22 consecutive months of increases. The average interest rate stood at 2.90% in April, slightly above March's 2.84% and the highest value since last November (2.97%). However, the rate has remained below 3% for 15 consecutive months.
The average interest rate for housing mortgages fell below 3% in February 2025 for the first time in nearly two years and has remained there. The average term for mortgage loans is 25 years.
The average mortgage amount nationally increased by 11.1% year-on-year in April, reaching 173,331 euros, with a lent capital of nearly 6,935 million euros. 37.1% of mortgages were constituted at a variable rate, while 62.9% were at a fixed rate, with initial average interest rates of 2.97% and 2.86% respectively.
