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Investment Intentions Survey 2024 National Insights

From this year's Investment Intentions Survey, we have extracted key highlights with a regional focus throughout Europe and presented them in London, Amsterdam, Munich, Helsinki and online as part of the Investment Intentions Roadshow.

After almost five years out from the top position, the UK has emerged as Europe’s top preferred investment destination in 2024, followed by Germany and France. The UK also has the preferred country/sector combination in 2024 with the industrial/logistics sector, followed by Germany.

Select the respective countries below for a further breakdown of each region, as well as presentations from the roadshow.

United Kingdom

  • The United Kingdom regains its position as the top European investment location in 2023, after six years, particularly favoured by non-European investors.  
  • The UK industrial logistics secures the top spot in the country sector ranking, with the UK residential and student accommodation markets ranking fifth and eighth, respectively.  
  • London maintains its position as the most preferred city destination in the UK with its industrial/logistics and residential market making their way to the top two preferred city and sector combinations. The industrial/logistics sector in the South East completes the top three sector city combinations for the 2024 report.  

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Germany

  • Germany is the second preferred investment destination for 2024, one position lower than last year.  For European investors, it ranks first alongside the United Kingdom. 
  • The preferred sectors in Germany are Industrial/logistics and residential, ranking second and third in the overall ranking for preferred country sector combination.  
  • Berlin and Munich both feature twice in the top ten most preferred city and sector combinations, with their industrial/logistics and residential sectors, respectively.  
  • On an equally weighted basis, German investors, on average, allocate 14.2% to real estate, slightly higher than their European counterparts at 11.3%. 

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France

  • Across all investor domiciles, France ranks third as the preferred European investment destination in 2024, down two positions from last year.  
  • The top ten preferred country/sector combinations for France feature residential and industrial/logistics.  
  • The industrial logistics market in Paris is the only sector /city combination in the top ten. This represents a drop compared with last year when Paris appeared three times in the ranking.

The Netherlands

  • The Netherlands maintains its fourth position in preferred investment destinations in Europe in 2024, although it is less popular among non-European investors.  
  • The Dutch industrial/logistics featured again in the top ten most preferred country/sector combinations in 2024, sharing the fifth spot with the French industrial / logistics market.  
  • Amsterdam is once again in the top ten city/sector combinations for the second consecutive year, with its industrial/logistics market coming in at joint third place.  
  • On an equally weighted basis, Dutch investors report an average real estate allocation of 10.2%, slightly below their European counterparts at 11.3%. 

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Southern Europe

  • Spain and Italy gain more investor interest, with more than 50% of respondents selecting them, ranking fifth and sixth within the top ten.  
  • The percentage of respondents selecting Spain as one of their preferred destinations has risen from 31% in 2023 to 61% in 2024. The situation is similar for Italy, jumping from 23% to 52%.  
  •  Madrid’s industrial/logistics market is Spain's highest-placed preferred city/sector combination (tied for 9th place) and Milan’s industrial/logistics market leads for Italy (tied for 7th place).  

The Nordics

  • Investor interest in the Nordic countries increases, with Sweden joining Denmark and Finland this year in the top ten.  
  • On an equally weighted basis, Nordic investors have a below-average allocation to real estate, at 9.2%, compared to their European counterparts, at 11.3%. 
  • The Swedish and Finnish industrial/logistics market is the most preferred country/sector combination in the Nordic region, jointly holding ninth place.  
  • In the Nordics, 88% of investors consider whether a fund is committed to becoming net zero carbon and 100% of Nordic investors are promoting environmentally and socially responsible investments. This is significantly higher than the 62% and 78% that are reported at the global level.

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