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Spain’s Population Reaches 49.57 Million as Foreign-Born Residents Top 10 Million

Immigration is sustaining demographic growth and, according to a new Funcas study, accounts for roughly half of Spain’s economic expansion since 2022.

Overview

  • INE’s provisional figures show a net gain of 81,520 residents in Q4 2025 and 442,428 over the year to 1 January 2026.
  • Residents with foreign nationality total about 7.24 million, fewer than the foreign-born due to widespread naturalisation.
  • Recent inflows were led by Colombia (36,600 arrivals in Q4), Venezuela (27,000) and Morocco (22,000), while the Spanish-born population decreased.
  • Population rose across all regions except the Balearic Islands; Ceuta increased and Melilla declined, with the largest quarterly gains in Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid.
  • Households numbered 19,746,638 on 1 January 2026, up by 46,332 in Q4, as Madrid’s census grew to 7.17 million over the year.