In 2025, Madrid registered a demographic shift rare in recent years: for the first time since 2019, the number of newborns exceeded the number of deaths. Official figures show 27,097 children were born in the capital—844 more than the previous year. At the same time, deaths totaled 26,533. Despite this positive natural increase, the city faced an unexpected decline in its overall population.
Mass removals from the registry
The main reason for the decline is neither migration nor demographics, but an unprecedented purge of the city registry. In 2025, about 100,000 people were removed from the books. As Deputy Mayor Inma Sanz explained, these are so-called “bureaucratic” removals: this affects foreigners who failed to renew their registration on time, and residents who actually changed address but remained listed at their former home. Such checks are conducted regularly, but this time the scale was unprecedented. Without this administrative review, city officials estimate Madrid’s population could have grown by about 70,000 people.
Losses among Spaniards and foreigners
By the end of the year, the capital’s population stood at 3,497,277 people—30,647 fewer than in 2024, when an all-time high was recorded. Spaniards make up 80.6% of residents, foreigners—19.4%. Over the year, the number of Spanish citizens dropped by 2,400, while the number of foreigners fell by 28,000. Looking at birthplace, nearly 70% of Madrid residents were born in Spain, the rest abroad.
Migration and internal movements
In 2025, 117,706 people arrived in Madrid from abroad and registered — 13% fewer than the previous year. More than half of the new foreigners came from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, the United States, China, Ecuador, and Mexico. At the same time, 11,589 foreigners deregistered and left the city, most often moving to the United States, United Kingdom, Colombia, Germany, Switzerland, and Venezuela.
Internal migration was also negative: 82,235 people moved to Madrid from other Spanish cities, while 120,192 left the capital. Most often, people relocated to other municipalities within the autonomous community, as well as to Toledo, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, and Guadalajara. Those moving in came primarily from nearby suburbs, as well as from Barcelona, Toledo, Valencia, Malaga, and Alicante.
Where the population grows and declines
The most notable increase in residents was recorded in the district of Vicálvaro — up by 2,627 people, due to active new housing construction. Next come Villa de Vallecas (1,047 new residents) and Barajas (74). The largest losses occurred in the districts of Centro (down 4,549), Ciudad Lineal (down 3,741), and Salamanca (down 3,540). Over the year, more than 111,000 address changes between districts were registered within the city.
The most populous districts remain Carabanchel (278,090), Puente de Vallecas (257,924), Fuencarral-El Pardo (256,037), and Latina (251,139). Nearly a third of all Madrid residents live in these four districts. The least populated are Vicálvaro (97,860), despite growth, Moratalaz (94,405), and Barajas (50,613).
According to city authorities, among those registered in Madrid, 47% are men (1,642,288) and 53% are women (1,855,049).
