New record: 26.4% of Barcelona residents are foreign nationals
The city’s international community plays a key role in its demographic dynamics. With a 5.7% increase compared to last year, the number of foreign nationals registered as city residents is nearing 460,000.
Diversity continues to drive Barcelona’s demographic growth. The data from the most recent municipal register of residents published by Barcelona City Council show an increase in foreign national residents as of 1 January 2025. This group now makes up 26.4% of the total population, a new record high in the city’s recent history.
If counting foreign-born individuals, the number is even higher: 612,529 registered Barcelona residents were born abroad, accounting for 35.4%, or over one-third, of all city residents.
Barcelona, home to 182 nationalities in addition to Spanish
National diversity continues to be one of the city’s defining characteristics. Over half of registered city residents born abroad, that is, nearly 330,000 individuals, come from the Americas, with a large Latin American majority. They are followed by non-Spanish Europeans, with over 126,000 residents.
The majority of residents born abroad are from Argentina, with over 50,000 residents, followed by those born in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Pakistan, Morocco, Ecuador, Italy, Honduras and China (all with over 20,000 residents).
This year, Italian nationality is once again the most common (53,415 people), largely as a result of dual nationality agreements with countries such as Argentina. Only 27% of residents from Argentina have Argentine nationality as their first nationality, as 38% hold a European nationality (mainly Italian) and 33% hold Spanish nationality.
Where do foreign residents live, and what is their profile?
The geographical distribution of the foreign population is quite uneven. L’Eixample, Sant Martí and Ciutat Vella are the districts with the most international residents. Although there are people from all five continents in every district in Barcelona, not all nationalities are equally represented.
Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu are home to the most residents from the Americas, whereas Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Gràcia and L’Eixample have the most non-Spanish Europeans. Meanwhile, Ciutat Vella is the district with the largest number of residents from Asia.
The foreign population is relatively young, with an average age of 35–36, compared to 47 for the Spanish population.
They also have a high level of education: 43.1% have a university education or have completed advanced vocational training. Among EU residents, the percentage of higher degree holders is 65.5%. University-level education is particularly common among Americans (75.6%), French (74.4%), English (72.2%), and Germans (70.6%).
All these data can be found in the La població de Barcelona 2025 report (in Catalan).
