Foreign Population
~10M of migrant origin
Spain hosts approximately 10 million people of migrant origin: 6.9 million by foreign nationality and about 3 million naturalized citizens born abroad. They represent 20.28% of the total population.
Key data
49,1 millones
Total population
January 2025
9,5 millones
Born abroad
~18.2% of population
+409.000
Annual foreign change
+6.3% vs 2024
20,28%
Migrant origin population
~10 million people
Main foreign nationalities (January 2025)
View data in table
| Country | Population | 2024 Change |
|---|---|---|
| Marruecos | 968.999 | +5,2% |
| Colombia | 676.534 | +15,2% |
| Rumanía | 609.270 | -1,8% |
| Venezuela | ~430.000 | +16,2% |
| Italia | ~310.000 | — |
| Reino Unido | ~255.000 | -2,2% |
| China | ~250.000 | — |
| Honduras | ~235.000 | — |
| Ecuador | ~210.000 | — |
| Perú | ~205.000 | +18,6% |
Historical evolution (1998-2025)
View data in table
| Year | Foreign residents |
|---|---|
| 1998 | ~637.000 (1,6%) |
| 2000 | ~923.000 (2,3%) |
| 2002 | ~1.977.000 (4,7%) |
| 2004 | ~3.034.000 (7,0%) |
| 2006 | ~4.144.000 (9,3%) |
| 2008 | ~5.268.000 (11,4%) |
| 2010 | ~5.747.000 (12,2%) |
| 2012 | ~5.736.000 (12,1%) |
| 2014 | ~5.023.000 (10,7%) |
| 2016 | ~4.618.000 (9,9%) |
| 2018 | ~4.734.000 (10,1%) |
| 2020 | ~5.434.000 (11,5%) |
| 2022 | ~5.543.000 (11,7%) |
| 2024 | 6.502.282 (13,4%) |
| 2025 | 6.911.971 (14,1%) |
Methodological context
It's important to distinguish between "foreigners by nationality" (6.9M) and "born abroad" (~9.5M). The difference (~2.6M) corresponds to people who have acquired Spanish nationality. The "migrant origin population" (~10M, 20.28%) includes all those born abroad plus children of immigrants born in Spain who don't yet have Spanish nationality. The INE Municipal Census provides data since 1998, allowing us to observe the growth of the foreign population from less than 2% to the current 14%.