MADRID – Spain’s population has officially exceeded 49 million for the first time, fueled entirely by immigration, according to data released Thursday by Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE). In the final quarter of 2024, the country gained over 115,000 new residents, with foreign-born individuals accounting for the entire increase.
While the number of residents born abroad grew by more than 136,000, Spain’s native-born population declined by over 20,500. This shift comes as Spain’s birthrate hit a record low of 1.12 children per woman in 2023. The majority of new arrivals came from Colombia, Venezuela, and Morocco, with significant numbers also from Peru, Italy, Honduras, Argentina, Ecuador, and Ukraine.
The regions experiencing the highest population growth were Melilla, Valencia, Madrid, and Catalonia. Despite a declining birthrate, Spain’s overall population has grown by around 15 million since 1971, largely due to continued immigration trends.
