The Colombian population continues to grow in Catalonia, with 1,150 citizens registered in the last quarter, marking the most significant increase. However, a few years ago, the community was much larger. The Catalan population has experienced a growth of 0.34%, with 27,845 new citizens according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), reaching a total of 8,119,550 people, of which more than 1.5 million are of foreign nationality.
According to the INE, the nationalities that grew the most in Catalonia during the last quarter of 2024 were Moroccan, with 7,290 new citizens, Colombian, with 6,650, and Peruvian, with 3,780. Morocco and Colombia lead these rankings in Catalonia. Moreover, the Moroccan community in Catalonia increased by 430 more people than in the previous quarter.
At the national level, the immigrants who grew the most were Colombians, Venezuelans, and Moroccans. Likewise, there was also emigration from Moroccans, Colombians, and Romanians. In Catalonia, it is the third community with the highest increases after the Valencian Community and the Community of Madrid. Regarding foreigners settled in Catalonia, the Girona community stands out with about 181,000 citizens, Tarragona with about 166,500, and Lleida with about 96,000.
In general terms, this increase is due to the rise in the number of people born abroad who have settled in Catalonia, while the population of Spanish origin has decreased. Regarding citizens of Peruvian origin, although they are a significant group in the region, in the last two years, they have experienced a decline and did not appear among the three nationalities with the most arrivals.
Barcelona concentrates the majority of the Catalan population, nearly 6 million, and also the foreign population, with more than 1 million inhabitants. The National Institute of Statistics (INE) has published the latest data on the resident population in Spain, indicating that for the first time, according to the Continuous Population Statistics (ECP), the figure of 49 million inhabitants has been surpassed, following a growth of about 115,000 people in the last quarter of last year.
