SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE/MADRID 19 December (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Canary Islands have welcomed a total of 25,738 new residents over the past year, bringing the population to 2,238,754 as of 1 January 2024, according to the Annual Population Census published this Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), based on administrative data.
This increase is primarily attributed to the foreign population, which saw a rise of 14,829 residents (+4.71%), compared to a national growth of 10,909 individuals, representing a 0.57% increase across all islands.
The total Spanish population grew by 534,334 during 2023 (a 1.1% uplift), reaching 48,619,695. This increase is largely due to the foreign population, which rose by 412,662, surpassing 6.5 million for the first time.
Of the overall population, 42,117,413 held Spanish nationality (86.6%) while 6,502,282 were of foreign nationality (13.4%). Compared to the prior year, the number of foreign nationals has increased by 6.8%.
As of 1 January 2024, there are 6,502,282 foreigners residing in Spain, up from 6,089,620 in 2023, 5,509,046 in 2022, 5,402,702 in 2021, and 5,252,473 in 2011, compared to just 1,572,013 in 2001.
The latest Annual Population Census shows that the proportion of individuals aged over 64 years is 20.4%. This indicates that the dependency ratio for those over 64 years—defined as the ratio between the population aged over 64 and that between 16 and 64 years—now stands at 0.31.
In this context, the population aged 64 and above increased by 240,592 (20.4%) in 2024, up from 19.6% in 2020, 18.5% in 2015, 16.6% in 2005, 15.0% in 1995, 11.8% in 1985, and 10.2% in 1975. In contrast, the number of people under 16 years declined by 79,965 during 2023 (1.1%), while those aged 16 to 64 grew by 373,707 (1.2%).
As of 1 January 2024, the most prevalent foreign nationalities were Moroccans (920,693), Romanians (620,463), and Colombians (587,477).
The most significant population increases among foreign nationalities during 2023 were noted in citizens of Colombia (up by 124,566), Peru (up by 47,598), and Venezuela (up by 47,095), while the largest declines were recorded in the United Kingdom (-11,635), Romania (-9,292), and Bulgaria (-2,388).
In relative terms, the largest increases among the largest foreign nationalities were seen in Peru (27.7%), Colombia (27.4%), and Venezuela (16.9%). Conversely, the most considerable decreases were reported for the United Kingdom (-4.1%), Bulgaria (-2.1%), and Romania (-1.5%).
POPULATION BY PLACE OF BIRTH
On 1 January 2024, 43.4% of the population lived in the same municipality as their birthplace, while 21.8% resided in another municipality within the same province. The proportion of individuals born abroad reached 18.2%, compared to 17.1% on the same date in 2023.
Among those born outside the country, 12.4% (over one million residents) were born in Morocco, 9.7% in Colombia, and 6.8% in Venezuela.
In 2023, the population increased across all autonomous communities. The steepest rises were found in the Community of Madrid (137,365 additional residents), Catalonia (110,268 more), and the Valencian Community (103,090 more).
In relative terms, the Community of Madrid and the Valencian Community witnessed the largest increases (2% each) along with the Balearic Islands (1.8%).
By provinces, every area saw an increase in populace, with the exception of six. The most notable growth was recorded in Valencia and Madrid (both 2%) as well as Alicante (1.9%). The largest declines occurred in Zamora (-0.4%), Jaén (-0.3%), and León (-0.2%).
As of 1 January 2024, 40.2% of the population resided in municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants. Additionally, 16.7% lived in municipalities with between 1,001 and 10,000 inhabitants, whilst 3.0% were in municipalities of 1,000 or fewer.
In 4,298 of the 8,132 municipalities recorded on 1 January 2024 (52.9% of the total), the population either increased or remained stable during 2023. Considering the principal cities, the most significant relative increases occurred in Torrevieja (6.7%), Arrecife (5.1%), and Granadilla de Abona (3.9%). Conversely, the areas with the greatest reductions were Cádiz (-0.8%), San Fernando (-0.3%), and Getxo (-0.2%).
