Spanish population grows by over half a million in a year but 97% are foreigners

The population of Spain has witnessed substantial growth over a year, from July 2022 to July 2023, with a remarkable increase of half a million people. This surge, as revealed by the Continuous Population Survey (ECP) conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), can be attributed primarily to individuals of foreign nationality, constituting a staggering 97.5% of the total growth.

According to the ECP report, Spain's overall population increased by more than 537,500 people during this period. Astonishingly, of these, over 524,000 were foreign nationals, while only 13,500 were Spanish citizens.

These figures underscore that the population of foreign nationals residing in Spain has now reached 6.34 million, which is 13.1% of the nation's total population. Nevertheless, Spanish citizens continue to form the majority, numbering over 42 million individuals, making up 86.9% of the entire population.

Over the past year, the foreign national population has expanded across all provinces and autonomous cities within Spain. Notably, significant increases were observed in A Coruña (+16.7%), Lugo (+15.4%), and Asturias (+15.1%).

Based on the ECP survey, foreign-born residents have been the driving force behind population growth in 24 of the 32 provinces, where the number of Spanish-born residents has declined. Foreign nationals have played a particularly prominent role in demographic growth in provinces such as Valencia (98.1%), Barcelona (96.8%), Seville (96.4%), and Lleida (96%).

As of July 2023, the provinces with the highest percentage of foreign nationals in their population were Alicante (22.9%), Almeria (22.4%), and Girona (21.8%). Conversely, the provinces with the lowest percentage of foreign nationals in their population were Jaén (3.4%), Córdoba (3.5%), and Badajoz (3.8%).

INE data also disclosed a concerning trend of negative natural growth in Spain, where deaths have surpassed births since 2017. Furthermore, the monthly number of births for the first half of 2023 reached its lowest point in the past eight years, amounting to 155,600 births, marking a 2.5% decrease compared to the previous year.

In 2022, Spain's population became the sixth oldest in the European Union, with an average age of 45.1 years. Over the past decade, Spain has experienced a noticeable ageing process, with the average age increasing by 4.3 years. According to Eurostat, the European Office for Statistics, this ageing trend is second in severity only to Portugal within the EU.

In addition to these demographic shifts, INE's population projections indicate that Spain is anticipated to witness a net population increase of approximately 5.6 million by 2036, largely due to migration trends.