According to the latest continuous population statistics released by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), as of July 1 this year, Spain’s total resident population climbed to 49,801,559, setting a new historical record. Statistics show that the number of native-born Spaniards is facing a downward trend, while the continuous influx of overseas immigrants has become the absolute driving force maintaining the country’s positive population growth.
Immigrant Groups Drive Q2 Population Surge
In the recently concluded second quarter, Spain’s total population achieved a net increase of 104,178 people, with the core driving force behind this data coming from the foreign population. Currently, the total number of overseas-born people living in Spain has reached 10,291,807.
Specifically, the foreign population increased by 87,197 in the second quarter, bringing the total number of un-naturalized foreigners to 7,437,543. During the same period, the population holding Spanish nationality increased by 16,981, mainly due to some immigrants completing the naturalization process as their residency years accumulated. Calculated on an annual basis, Spain’s national population has cumulatively increased by 444,205 people over the past year.
Latin America and North Africa are the Main Sources of Immigrants
Among the newly added foreign population, Latin American and North African countries are the primary sources of immigrants. Data shows that among the new immigrant groups flowing into Spain in the second quarter, the top three countries were Colombia (34,000 people), Venezuela (23,300 people), and Morocco (21,100 people). As the overall population scale of the society expands, Spain’s micro-social structure is also undergoing synchronous changes, with the total number of households nationwide climbing to 19,874,860.
Regional Population Distribution: Coastal Autonomous Communities Lead in Growth Rate
The trend of population growth is universally reflected across Spain, with all autonomous communities and autonomous cities recording positive population growth. The national average population quarter-on-quarter growth rate was 0.21%, with the eastern coastal and some island regions showing the most prominent growth rates.
Among the regions, the Valencian Community ranked first with a 0.43% increase, followed closely by the Balearic Islands (+0.36%), Asturias (+0.29%), and Murcia (+0.29%). In addition, the growth rates of Aragon (+0.28%), Castilla-La Mancha (+0.28%), and Catalonia (+0.27%) all exceeded the national average. In contrast, the pace of population growth in regions such as the Community of Madrid (+0.18%), Galicia (+0.17%), Andalusia (+0.10%), and the Canary Islands (+0.03%) was relatively moderate.
