Spain's population keeps increasing due to immigration

The population of Spain has hit a record high thanks to growing numbers of immigrants arriving in the country.

The resident population in Spain increased by 119,811 people in total during the second quarter of the year and stood at 49,315,949 inhabitants as of 1 July 2025, the highest figure since records began.

The growth was due to a continued uptick in foreigners coming to Spain as the number of births in Spain decreased, according to the Continuous Population Statistics published recently by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The number of foreigners increased by 95,277 during the quarter, reaching 7,050,174 in total, while the Spanish population increased by 24,534 thanks to acquisition of nationality, and there was a decrease of 18,120 in the number of people born in Spain.

During the second quarter of 2025, the population grew in all regions and in Ceuta, only decreasing in the autonomous city of Melilla.

The largest increases were in Aragón (0.91 percent), Valencia region (0.50 percent) and the Balearic Islands (0.42 percent).

In annual terms, the estimated population growth was 508,475 people compared to July 2024.

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The main nationalities of immigrants becoming resident in the country in Q2 were Colombian (with 36,100 arrivals in Spain), Moroccan (25,000) and Venezuelan (21,600).

The main nationalities among emigrants were Colombian (9,800 departures), Spanish (9,700) and Moroccan (9,200).

Immigration is becoming an increasingly divisive subject in Spain, not least because of recent anti-migrant unrest in Murcia, and calls by far-right party Vox to deport 8 million foreigners.

However, the evidence suggests that the benefits immigration bring to Spain far outweigh simmering fears about the country becoming increasingly multicultural.

Leading international publications such as The Economist and the Financial Times have pinpointed the increase in Latin American migrants filling service-based jobs (and their smooth integration due to their cultural and linguistic similarities) as one of the chief reasons Spain's economy is leading the way in the EU.

READ ALSO: Myth-buster - Immigrants don't take jobs from Spaniards or lower wages

Spain is also soon to surpass Japan as the country with the longest life expectancy in the world, and although this is something to be celebrated, it increases the need for more people of a working age to fund the Spanish social security and pension systems.

With Spain having one of the lowest birth rates in the EU - around 1.1 child per family - the only viable short-term solution to ensure both the economy and welfare system keep afloat is migration.

READ MORE: Why Spain needs millions more migrants, not less