The Valencian Community recorded Spain’s highest population growth, with official figures showing a 0.43% rise in three months. On July 1, 2026, its population reached 5,574,948, more than in any other autonomous community, information from provisional data from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Valencia’s growth outpaced the Balearic Islands and Asturias, where increases were more modest, at 0.36% and 0.29%, respectively.
Across Spain, the population grew by 104,178 during the second quarter, reaching a record 49,801,559 residents. Women accounted for 25,338,952 and men for 24,462,607. Yet growth in the first half of 2026 slowed to 0.93%, below the 1% recorded in each of the previous three years.
The INE attributes nearly all of this continued expansion to the arrival of people born abroad. The number of foreign-born residents now stands at 10,291,807, exceeding the total number of foreign nationals because naturalization is ongoing. Over the last quarter, the foreign-national population grew by 87,197 to reach 7,437,543, while the number of Spanish nationals rose by just 16,981.
The trend is even more pronounced in the Valencian Community. Over the past year, the region gained 96,874 residents, an annual increase of 1.8%, double the national average. Of its current population, 4,115,515 were born in Spain and 1,459,433 abroad. In the last quarter alone, the number of foreign-born residents rose by 22,966, compared with just 816 additional Spanish-born residents. By nationality, 4,401,133 hold Spanish citizenship and 1,173,815 are foreign nationals.
A separate report by Levante-EMV on Valencia’s housing market also described annual population growth of 1.8%, compared with 1% nationally. It said household numbers were rising at roughly twice the pace of newly built homes. The annual comparison covers a 12-month period, unlike the quarterly growth rates in the population figures.
Colombian nationals made up the largest group of new arrivals in the second quarter of 2026, with 34,000 arrivals. Venezuelan arrivals numbered 23,300, while Moroccan arrivals reached 21,100. The number of households in Spain also rose to 19,874,860, an increase of nearly 59,000 in three months.
While the Valencian Community leads in growth, several other regions saw much smaller increases. The Canary Islands registered just 0.03%; Extremadura and La Rioja also recorded smaller gains. Across Spain, foreign-born residents are increasingly driving population growth as the number of Spanish-born citizens declines.
This pattern of internal redistribution and migration echoes developments elsewhere in Spain, including the relocation of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands to mainland regions such as Valencia. For more on how regional population changes are affecting local services and integration, see this report on the transfer of migrant minors to Valencia and other regions.
Foreign-born residents now lead Spain’s changing demographic field. The INE’s latest data highlights migration’s importance in offsetting natural population decline and sustaining growth, particularly in regions such as the Valencian Community. As Spain approaches the symbolic 50 million mark, policymakers face the challenge of managing integration and keeping public services in step. The continued arrival of residents from Latin America and North Africa is likely to remain a basic factor in Spain’s demographic and social dynamics in the coming years.
