Press Release - November 2026

• Call center companies generated turnover of €4.6 billion in 2025, down 1.1% on 2024, affected by weak domestic demand, the in-house shift of services by some clients and tighter regulation.

• Revenue from clients abroad rose 2.5% to €2.05 billion, while that from clients in Spain fell 3.8% to €2.55 billion.

• INFORMA's DBK Sectoral Observatory recently published these insights in the 'Call Centers' Sectoral Report.

Madrid, 10 November 2026.- According to INFORMA's (Cesce's subsidiary) DBK Sectoral Observatory—a leading provider of business, financial, sectoral, and marketing information in Spain and Portugal—aggregate turnover among call center companies stood at €4.6 billion in 2025, a 1.1% decline from 2024, after average annual growth of around 5% in the previous two-year period.

The sector was hit by weak domestic demand, a loss of momentum in international demand and the in-house shift of services by some clients, driven by the adoption of artificial intelligence-based systems. It is also worth noting tighter regulation of commercial calls.

In 2025, reception services kept turnover virtually stable at around €3.14 billion, 68% of the total, while revenue in outbound services fell 6.2%, affected by restrictions on commercial calls. Customer service remains the main service, accounting for 59% of business.

The numerous acquisitions and mergers continue to increase the degree of concentration on the supply side. In 2025, the top five operators accounted for 65% of sector turnover; the top ten, 79%. Only three of these ten groups have predominantly Spanish capital.

Activity is concentrated mainly in Madrid, Cataluña and Andalucía, regions that account for nearly half of the main companies' proprietary platforms in Spain. Madrid also stands out in centres located at clients' premises, hosting almost one in two.

Artificial intelligence is changing how call centre services are delivered. It promotes automation and opens up opportunities in data analysis and multilingual customer support, but it also makes it easier for some clients to bring services in-house. This, together with the relocation of part of the activity to platforms outside Spain, tends to reduce employment, estimated at around 115,000 workers across the roughly 75 companies and groups operating in the sector.

The decline in revenue, price competition and rising costs will continue to put downward pressure on operators' margins in the short term.

Data Synthesis, 2025