Immigration figures have revealed that of the roughly 9 million foreigners living in Spain, over a quarter (27 percent) have gained Spanish citizenship and obtained a DNI card.
The DNI (el documento nacional de identidad) is the identity card given to Spaniards, as opposed to the TIE (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) carried by non-EU residents or the green certificate for EU residents.
Overall this means that around 2.5 million foreign-born people in Spain have taken citizenship. Foreigners are increasingly the driving thrust behind population growth in Spain – as of January 2024, data from the Continuous Population Statistics shows that the foreign-born population accounted for almost a fifth (18.1 percent) of Spain’s total population.
According to figures from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE), the total population increased in the second quarter of 2024 by around 67,000 people reaching a new record high of 48,797,875 people.
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In this period, however, the number of people born in Spain fell by 21,680 people while the number of people born abroad – this statistic also includes naturalised citizens – increased by 89,047 people to a little over 9 million overall.
This continues a growing demographic trend. In 2023 the number of foreign born people naturalising and getting Spanish nationality increased by 32.3 percent, to 240,208 in total for the year, the highest figure for a decade.
INE data shows that of the near quarter-million foreigners who acquired Spanish nationality in 2023, 54.8 percent were women and 45.2 percent were men. The most frequent nationalities of origin were Morocco (54,027), Venezuela (30,154) and Colombia (18,738).
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In annual terms, the total estimated population increase was 415,369 people. Foreigners are increasingly pushing this growth in Spain, with an increasing trend for them to take Spanish citizenship.
The INE analysis of the data states it clearly: “Spain’s population growth was due to the increase in the number of people born abroad, while the number of people born in Spain decreased.”
The regions of Madrid (+0.33 percent), Valencia (+0.28) and the Balearic Islands (+0.28) experienced the largest population increases overall.
There are several routes to gain citizenship. To gain Spanish nationality, most foreigners need to reside legally and continuously in Spain for ten years.
However, the period of time foreigners must wait before applying for nationality can vary depending on family ties, where they’re coming from, and their personal or political situation.
Though 10 years is the normal rule for gaining Spanish citizenship, it’s 5 years if you’re a refugee; 2 years if you’re from a Latin American country, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, Philippines or Portugal; and just 1 year for those married to a Spanish national or children/grandchildren of Spanish citizens born in Spain.
With declining birth rates and a large generation due to retire in the coming years, the Spanish economy needs more migrants.
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A recent study by the Bank of Spain estimated that the country will need up to 25 million more immigrant workers by 2053 in order to combat demographic ageing and maintain the ratio of workers to pensioners and thus keep the pension system afloat.
Without more foreign workers (regardless of whether they choose to take Spanish citizenship at some point) or a drastic increase in the birth rate in Spain, experts fear that the widening disparity between working age people and pensioners could put the public pensions system in danger.
The Spanish population is rapidly ageing, with the percentage of the population over 65 years of age predicted to peak in 2050, when almost one in three will be 65 years old or older.
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