The foreign population with valid residence permits in Spain reaches 7.5 million, growing by 4.5% in the last year

The foreign population with valid residence permits in Spain reached 7,500,944 people as of 31 December 2025, a figure that represents a 4.5% increase compared to the previous year. This is according to the latest data from the Permanent Immigration Observatory (OPI), which reports to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

Of the total number of foreign nationals with a valid registration certificate or residence card in Spain at the end of 2025, 3,804,191 held a registration certificate as citizens of the EU or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). 3,497,284 resided in our country with a residence permit under the immigration system, and 199,469 through a Foreigner Identification Card (TIE) under the Withdrawal Agreement for British nationals and their family members.

Authorisations for Europeans

According to the statistics, 4,003,660 people held a registration certificate from a European Union or European Free Trade Association country, or a valid Withdrawal Agreement TIE, as of 31 December. Of these, 13% (523,821) are beneficiaries of a residence card for family members of European Union or European Free Trade Association nationals.

The three most represented nationalities among those with this type of certificate are Romanian (1,136,518), Italian (514,054), and British (382,474), together accounting for 51% of the total.

The average age of the population with a registration certificate or Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) under the Withdrawal Agreement is 44 years, the same as a year ago and five years older than ten years ago.

Regarding gender distribution, 51% are men and 49% are women, a distribution that has remained unchanged throughout the historical series (since 2013).

The latest update from the Observatory on the statistics 'British persons and their family members who have applied for Withdrawal Agreement documentation (Art. 50 TFEU)' (March 2026) indicates that, from July 2020 to December 2025, more than 280,000 British persons and their family members applied for Withdrawal Agreement documentation, of which 250,713 (89%) were granted.

Three provinces accounted for 51% of the applications granted: Alicante (63,937; 26%), Málaga (44,179; 18%), and the Balearic Islands (18,574; 7%).

It is worth noting that the 65 and over and 50 to 64 age groups are the largest, together representing 64% of the total.

Residence permits under the foreigners' regime

The Permanent Immigration Observatory reports a total of 3,497,284 foreign nationals with valid residence permits subject to the foreigners' regime, representing a 9% increase in the last year, or 288,253 more people than in December 2024.

The OPI also tracks the evolution of this group over the last ten years. Between December 2015 and December 2025, the number of foreign nationals from countries other than EU/EFTA or the UK increased by 1,380,551.

In terms of nationalities, the fifteen most represented account for 78% of all foreign nationals with immigration authorisation as of 31 December 2025. Overall, Africans represent 35%, followed by 33% from Central and South American countries, 16% from Asian countries, and 15% from non-EU/EFTA European countries.

It should be noted that the Venezuelan community, which showed a notable slowdown starting on 31 December 2023 (dropping from an annual variation of 25.7% on that date to 5.8% a year later), exhibits a very significant annual growth rate of 24.4% as of 31 December 2025.

On the other hand, Honduran nationals have experienced a decrease of 0.7% in the last year.

Temporary residence permit as a family member

The new Immigration Regulations, approved by Royal Decree 1155/2024 of 19 November and in force since 20 May 20 2025, introduced a new temporary residence permit for family members of Spanish nationals.

According to the Permanent Immigration Observatory report, seven months after the new RELOEX law came into effect, the number of people with a valid temporary residence permit for the new reason of being a family member of a Spanish national has reached 42,792, of whom 56% are women and 8% are under 16 years of age.

Regarding the nationalities of origin, Colombia, Cuba, and Peru are the main ones, representing 25% (10,876), 12% (4,997), and 9% (3,908) of the total, respectively.

Foreigners with student residence permits

This March, the Permanent Immigration Observatory (OPI) has also updated its statistics analysing data on student residence permits for foreigners.

On 31 December 2025, 85,690 students and their families held this type of permit, representing a 52% increase compared to the previous quarter and "a trend consistent with the seasonality of the data, which shows minimum values in September," according to the OPI.

The nationalities with the highest number of people holding this type of permit are Colombian (11,263), Peruvian (7,636), Moroccan (6,737), and American (6,623).

Non official translation