2 Summary of results

POPULATION

• Barcelona’s population decreases slightly in 2026 and stands at 1,729,963 people, the second highest figure in the last forty years.

• The growth trend that began in 2023 is reversed, with an almost symbolic decrease of 0.1%.

• In seven out of ten districts, the number of residents decreases slightly, while in Ciutat Vella, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu small increases are observed.

• As in previous years, the demographic dynamics of 2025 are characterised by a negative natural balance that is offset by the dynamism of migration. Within this, inflows once again exceed outflows, despite the increase in deregistrations due to adjustments in line with official records.

• The sex structure shows a predominance of women, which becomes more pronounced from the age of 45 onwards and is very marked at older ages.

• The average age of the population rises slightly to 44.6 years.

• The number of centenarians reaches a new peak: 1,196. Female predominance is significant, accounting for 82%.

• Educational attainment increases: 37.4% of registered residents aged 16 and over hold a university degree or higher vocational qualification. The gap between men (35%) and women (39.6%) with higher education widens.

• The decline of the native population continues, which ceased to be a majority in 2019. The number of people not born in the city exceeds those born in the city. This year, the native population accounts for 44.6% of the total.

• There are 626,924 people registered in Barcelona who were born abroad. 53.2% (333,240 people) were born in the American continent.

• With nearly 50 thousand people, Argentina continues to be the country contributing the most foreign-born residents. The other most numerous countries of origin are, in order: Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Pakistan, Ecuador, Morocco, Italy, Honduras and China.

• 30% of foreign-born individuals have acquired Spanish nationality; they represent 11% of Barcelona’s registered population.

• The population of Spanish nationality decreases by 0.4% compared with the previous year, a decline that, with few exceptions, has been a constant in recent years.

• The foreign population is the main driver of Barcelona’s demographic growth throughout the 21st century. In 2026, with a slight increase of 0.7%, the number of registered foreign nationals rises to 460,409, representing 26.6% of the total.

• The diversity of nationalities remains one of Barcelona’s defining features: in addition to Spanish nationality, people from up to 181 different nationalities live together.

• The territorial distribution of the foreign population is uneven: in absolute terms, the districts with the highest number of foreign residents are Eixample, Sant Martí and Ciutat Vella. In relative terms, however, Ciutat Vella stands out clearly, with 54.8% of its population being of foreign nationality.

• The foreign population is relatively young compared with the Spanish population and displays a relatively balanced sex structure, with a slight majority of men and notable variability depending on nationality.

• The educational profile of foreigners registered in Barcelona is very diverse depending on origin. Overall, 42.7% of foreigners living in Barcelona report having a university degree or higher vocational qualification.

• Europeans and Americans are the largest groups of foreigners. The most common nationalities continue to be Italian, Colombian and Pakistani.

DWELLINGS

• In Barcelona, 1,729,963 registered residents live in 684,077 dwellings.

• Nearly one third of dwellings are single-person households (218,433).

• Dwellings with residents of foreign nationality continue to increase, both those where all members are foreign (13.7% of the total), and those where Spaniards live together with people of other nationalities (14.4%).

• Households with minors are decreasing and account for less than a quarter of all dwellings (21.4%).

DEMOGRAPHIC MOVEMENT

• The city’s demographic trend maintains the recent dynamic, characterised by a negative natural balance and strong migration flows, although more moderate than in previous years.

• The summary of demographic growth by its two components is as follows. Barcelona recorded a negative natural balance of 3,549 people and a positive migratory and administrative balance of 11,383.

• Births and deaths decline moderately. The 11,012 births in 2025 decrease by 1.3% compared with 2024, reaching the lowest level since 1900 (with the exception of 1939). A total of 14,557 deaths were recorded (1% less than in 2024).

• The negative natural balance extends to all districts except Ciutat Vella, where for the third consecutive year there are more births than deaths.

• Few changes in the most popular baby names: the most chosen names for girls are Olívia, Sofia, Emma, Júlia and Ona. For boys, the preferred names are Mateo, Pau, Marc, Pol and Bruno.

• Migration continues to be the key component of demographic dynamics; in 2025 it shows a slight decrease in inflows and an upward push in outflows.

• New residents through immigration show an almost balanced sex structure and are relatively young in age. As in previous years, the largest group is young adults born abroad (81.6%). Among newcomers in 2025, 44% report having a university degree.

• The predominant profile of emigrants corresponds to young people of Spanish nationality who mainly move to the rest of Catalonia (68.4%) and to the rest of Spain (23.7%).

• Once again, there is a slight decrease in the number of internal migrations within Barcelona. The main actors are young adults, with gender parity, and increasingly of foreign nationality. The preference to remain within the same district continues.