Spain's population continues to grow, despite decrease in number of Spanish nationals

The number of foreigners increased by 149,530 people during the first quarter of 2023

Nuria Triguero

Malaga.

Friday, 26 May 2023, 11:13

The resident population in Spain increased by 136,916 people in the first quarter of 2023 and stood at 48,196,693 inhabitants on 1 April 2023. This is the maximum value on record. In annual terms, the estimated population growth is 590,184 people, the highest since 2008.

Spain's population growth was due to the increase in the number of foreign nationals, which offset the reduction in the number of Spanish nationals.

The number of foreigners increased by 149,530 people during the first quarter, to a total of 6,227,092 as of 1 April 2023. In contrast, the population of Spanish nationality decreased by 12,614 persons.

Fifteen regions

During the first quarter of 2023, it is estimated that the population grew in 15 regions and decreased in the remaining two, as well as in Ceuta and Melilla. The largest increases in relative terms were in Madrid (0.60%), Valencia (0.54%) and Catalonia (0.46%). At the other extreme, the population decreased in Extremadura (-0.07%) and Galicia (-0.00%).

The main nationalities of migrants during the first quarter of 2023 were Colombian (with 44,300 arrivals in Spain), Moroccan (23,200) and Venezuelan (21,500). The most numerous emigrant nationalities were Spanish (with 11,500 departures), Moroccan (8,400) and Romanian (7,700).