Foreigners are almost half of the Catalan population in some age groups

Barcelona8,233,788. These are the inhabitants of Catalonia as of this Thursday. Up to 72,150 more people than a year ago and 32,000 more than six months ago, according to the latest report prepared by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The annual growth of Catalan territory is around 1%, although the country's population would have a negative trend if it were not for the arrival of foreign people, a dynamic that has been common for years. Right now, there are 90,000 more foreign residents than a year ago. In total, there are 2.15 million people born outside the State, representing 26.2% of the population. That is, one in every four inhabitants of Catalonia.

In the last decade, Catalonia has gained more than 780,000 inhabitants and now has 10.5% more population than in 2016. The INE data also show that the weight of the foreign population is even more pronounced in some age groups. Above all, this occurs in younger age groups, as between 25 and 44 years old, foreigners exceed 40% of the population. And specifically, among Catalans between 30 and 40 years old, the percentage of foreigners is close to 50%; almost one in two people is of this origin.

All Catalan districts have gained population. Barcelona's district exceeds the figure of 6 million inhabitants for the first time, with 47,396 more residents than on July 1, 2025. The second district in terms of population volume is still Tarragona, with nearly 900,000 inhabitants, and it is also the one that has grown the most in percentage terms, 1.6% (14,112 more residents). Girona now has 840,086 (0.5% more) and Lleida registers 467,938, 1.3% more than a year ago.

Main nationalities

Regarding the State as a whole, the population grew by 104,178 people in the second quarter and now stands at 49.8 million inhabitants. Spain, therefore, is on track to reach 50 million residents. Spain's population growth is also due to an increase in people born abroad, as the number of people born in the State is decreasing.

According to the INE, the main foreign nationalities during the second quarter of 2026 in the State were Colombian (with 34,000 arrivals), Venezuelan (23,300), and Moroccan (21,100). They are followed by Peruvian (16,800), Brazilian (8,300), Italian (7,600), Honduran (7,200), Pakistani (6,700), and Ukrainian (6,600).

Furthermore, in the last six months the population has grown in all the autonomous communities. The ranking is led by the Valencian Country (+0.43%), followed by the Balearic Islands (+0.36%), the Principality of Asturias (+0.29%) and Murcia (+0.29%). Aragon (+0.28%), Castilla-La Mancha (+0.28%), and Catalonia (+0.27%) are also above the average population increase.