As immigration becomes an increasing topic of debate in Spanish politics and society, the country’s foreign born population has hit a new milestone, government data reveals.
As migration and mass regularisations of undocumented immigrants dominates Spanish debate, Spain’s population growth recently passed another population milestone on the backs of foreigners.
Spain’s Continuous Population Statistics (ECP) published Thursday shows that the resident population in Spain increased by 81,520 people in the fourth quarter of 2025, reaching 49,570,725 total inhabitants as of January 1st 2026.
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The highest figure on record, this is largely due to the increase in foreign-born residents which exceeded the 10-million mark for the first time.
The foreign-born population in Spain now stands at a total of 10,004,581 people and was greater than those with foreign nationality due to many long-term foreign residents acquiring Spanish citizenship.
Of these 10 million who were not born in Spain, 7.2 million have foreign nationality, with an increase of 56,431 people during the final quarter of 2025.
The percentage of foreigners in Spain as of January 1st 2026 there stood at 14.6 percent of the population.
Estimated population growth overall was 442,428 people year-on-year.
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The main nationalities of incoming immigrants were Colombian, Venezuelan, and Moroccan: 36,600 Colombians arrived in Spain, 27,000 Venezuelans, and 22,000 Moroccans.
By region, most saw growth in terms of population.
Those that increased the most significantly were the Valencian Community (0.34 percent), Castilla-La Mancha (0.27 percent), and Madrid (0.24 percent).
Overall, Spain’s population has grown by more than two million people in four years.
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