Spain keeps breaking population records, quarter after quarter. As of October 1, 2025, the country had 49,442,844 residents, according to the Continuous Population Statistics of the National Statistics Institute (INE). On paper, Spain is thriving with nearly half a million more people in a year and over 100,000 added in just three months.
Spain grows, yet Spaniards fade. Behind the headline figure lies a demographic paradox. The expansion is driven by immigration. Foreign-born residents now exceed 9.8 million, close to one-fifth of the total population. Meanwhile, the number of people born in Spain continues to shrink, dragged down by a decade-long negative natural balance. Births can no longer compensate for deaths and have not since 2017.
