The expression Spanish real estate crisis or property crisis that began in 2008 refers to the set of economic indicators that, with all their severity in 2010, would evidence the deterioration of real estate expectations and of the construction industry in Spain in the context of a global economic crisis and the property bubble in Spain. Such indicators would be, mainly, the decline in units sold, the sharp fall in housing prices and the increase in the number of developers and construction companies declared bankrupt or in financial difficulties. Spain, however, is not the only country affected. The crisis has spread to other areas, leading to the Spanish crisis of 2008-2014.

The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline observed in national economies globally, i.e. a recession, that occurred in the late 2000s. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country. At the time, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded that it was the most severe economic and financial meltdown since the Great Depression. One result was a serious disruption of normal international relations.