The population of Spain increased by 105,488 people in the third quarter of this year and stood at 49.44 million inhabitants as of October 1st, 2025, according to new data published by Spain’s national stats body.
Spain’s population continues on its upward trajectory, the country’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) has revealed in its latest census.
A total of 49,442,844 million is a new record and the highest number of residents in Spain since records began in 1971.
This population hike is not down to more children being born, as Spain has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe at 1.12 children per woman.
As in previous quarters, it is primarily down to an increase in the number of foreign nationals moving here.
READ ALSO: Spain’s population keeps increasing due to immigration
Of the 49.4 million, 39,617,578 people were born in Spain (9,901 fewer than the previous quarter) while 9,825,266 were born abroad, 115,389 more.
According to INE, the population of Spaniards increased by 26,551 people in the third quarter of this year compared to the previous quarter.
This means 42,310,520 people currently living in Spain have Spanish nationality, while 7,132,324 have foreign nationality.
The largest number of foreigners coming to live in Spain in Q3 were Colombian (32,100), Moroccan (23,400), and Venezuelan (20,500) citizens.
READ ALSO: Why are so many different types of foreigners moving to Spain?
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Data also showed that during the third quarter of 2025, the population grew in all 17 regions of Spain.
The largest increases were seen in Valencia (+0.40 percent), Aragón (+ 0.36 percent), Castilla-La Mancha (+ 0.34 percent), Catalonia and Navarre (+0.32 percent for both), and Asturias and La Rioja (+0.30 percent).
Those regions that saw the least population growth, below the national average, were Galicia and the Balearic Islands (both 0.20 percent), Murcia (0.19 percent), the Basque Country (0.18 percent), the Canary Islands (0.16 percent), Extremadura (0.11 percent), Madrid (0.09 percent), and Andalusia (0.06 percent).
The number of households in Spain stood at 19,684,380 as of October 1st, 2025, an increase of 55,109 during the third quarter. This is down to both due to the number of migrants and the increase single-person homes.
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READ ALSO: Why Spain needs millions more migrants, not less
Because of its low birthrate and ageing population, Spain is in need of foreigners to help keep the country going.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) earlier this year said Spain would need many more migrants in the future and recommended that it increase regular immigration and reactivate older workers in the labour market to ensure economic growth in the face of the expected population decline and demographic ageing.
The OECD report highlighted that Spain, like many member countries, will be affected by a “sharp decline” in the working-age population in the coming decades and needs migrant labour to reinforce the economy.
A study by the Bank of Spain last year estimated that Spain would need up to 25 million more immigrant workers by 2053 in order to combat demographic ageing and maintain the ratio of workers to pensioners in order to support the pension system.
