Spain’s population reached a new record high of 48,345,223 inhabitants. Spain´s population grew by 135,186 in the second quarter of this year. The increase is mainly due to the rise in the number of people born abroad.
The figures were released by INE, the Spanish National Statistical Office. This is the second time the Spanish INE has published the Estadística Continua de Población (ECP). Furthermore, this provides quarterly preliminary estimates of population trends. The ECP also provides an initial quarterly estimate of external migration flows and thus information on the main migration patterns by nationality and country of birth.
Preliminary estimated growth
The ECP’s preliminary data for 1 July 2023 assumes an estimated year-on-year growth of 537,611 people in 2023. In the second quarter, the number of foreigners increased by 100,394 people to a total of 6,335,419 on 1 July 2023. The foreign-born population stood at 8,457,886 people. The difference between these two figures is explained by naturalisation processes.
The number of residents with Spanish nationality increased by 34,792 people. With these figures, Spain reached a new high in the historical population series.
Where did the population grow the most?
The population grew in all autonomous communities and also in the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The Balearic Islands (0.58%), Catalonia (0.51%) and the Comunidad de Madrid (0.45%) showed the largest relative increase. In contrast, the smallest increases were recorded in Extremadura (0.01%), Asturias (0.03%), Ceuta (0.06%), Castilla y León (0.08%) and Galicia (0.09%).
Immigrants and emigrants
Most immigrants during the second quarter came from Colombia (37,700), followed by Moroccans (21,500) and returning Spaniards (19,900). Emigration figures show that 6,700 Moroccans returned, 5,700 Romanians and 5,500 Spaniards.
Read also: Spain has more than 48 million inhabitants for the first time
