Malaga city surpasses 600,000 inhabitants for the first time

Notably, both Madrid and Barcelona recorded smaller growth figures than these cities during the same period.

However, this net demographic surge masks two opposing trends within Malaga. The census is being sustained almost exclusively by the foreign-born population, while the number of Spanish-born residents continues to dwindle. Over the last year, the city welcomed 7,601 residents born in other countries, bringing the foreign-born community to 108,034 people, which now represents 17.9% of the total population. Conversely, the count of indigenous inhabitants saw a decline of 1,630 individuals.

This pattern of attracting international residents while losing native ones is not unique to the capital; it is also being felt in Marbella, the province’s other major municipality with updated INE data. As of January 1 of this year, Marbella reached a population of 162,155 after adding 1,677 people in 2025. This growth was driven by 2,032 new foreign arrivals, which offset the departure of 355 Spaniards. Marbella now boasts a population larger than several provincial capitals, including Logroño, Badajoz, Salamanca, León, and Jaén.

The broader province of Malaga also continues its upward trajectory. Provisional data as of April 1 shows the province reached 1,813,818 inhabitants, adding 1,178 people during the first quarter of 2026. Looking at the rolling year from April to April, the province grew by 18,173 inhabitants, though these figures remain subject to final verification.

During the first three months of the year, the primary migration flows into Malaga came from individuals born in Colombia (1,000), Morocco (890), and Argentina (600). When categorised by nationality rather than birthplace, the top groups are Colombians, Moroccans, and Paraguayans; the discrepancy in the Argentinian data arises because many immigrants from that nation already hold Spanish citizenship.

Simultaneously, there is a notable outflow of residents moving abroad. In the first quarter, the most frequent nationalities departing the province were Moroccans (410), Colombians (280), and Britons (260). While Malaga's growth has moderated compared to 2021 - when it led Spain in population gains - it remained a top performer in 2025, ranking ninth nationally and second in Andalucía by adding 13,922 inhabitants and surpassing the 1.8 million resident mark.

The demographic shift in Malaga mirrors a broader national trend. The total resident population of Spain increased by 97,021 people during the first quarter of the year, hitting an all-time high of 49,687,120 inhabitants as of April 1, 2026. In annual terms, the estimated growth stood at 459,462 people. Much like Malaga, Spain’s national growth is driven by those born abroad - a group totaling 10,154,722 people - as the number of people born in Spain continues to fall.

During the first quarter of 2026, the number of foreigners in Spain rose by 94,182 to a total of 7,346,414, while the population of Spanish nationality grew by a modest 2,839.

The primary sources of immigration for the country were Colombia (38,600 arrivals), Morocco (25,700), and Venezuela (21,200). On the other hand, the most common nationalities leaving Spain were Moroccans (11,700), Colombians (11,200), and both Venezuelans and Romanians (5,100 each). During this period, nearly all Autonomous Communities saw growth, led by the Valencian Community (0.39%), Castilla-La Mancha (0.36%), and Murcia (0.33%), while Andalucía recorded a 0.11% increase. Only the Canary Islands and Melilla saw their populations decrease.