Population peaks: Spanish population hits 48.1 million in historic high

SPAIN’S population has soared to a historic peak, according to the latest report from the National Institute of Statistics released on Tuesday, May 23. 

The country’s resident population reached a staggering 48,196,693 on Saturday, April 1, marking a remarkable increase of 136,916 people in the first quarter of 2023.

The surge is mainly attributed to immigration, which has offset Spain’s falling national population. Foreigners in Spain rose by 149,530 to a total of 6.2 million, while 8.3 million are foreign-born. The disparity is due to naturalisation processes, while Spanish nationals decreased by 12,614.

Leading immigrant nationalities in the first quarter of 2023 were Colombians (44,300), Moroccans (23,200), and Venezuelans (21,500). Latin American immigration results from economic crises and Spain’s demand for workers in care and tourism.

Spain’s annual population growth is estimated at 590,184, the highest since 2008. The Community of Madrid, Valencia, and Catalonia experienced the highest relative increases.

Joaquín Recaño, a demography professor, explained that declining birth rates were due to fewer women of childbearing age and shifting family models as well as an ageing population.