Barcelona population surpasses 1.7m people for first time since 1990

The population of Barcelona has surpassed 1.7 million for the first time since 1990. 

According to the most recent figures published by the council's Municipal Data Office, the city had 1,701,891 inhabitants on August 1, 2023. 

The number of residents in the Catalan capital grew significantly between January and July, with more than 40,000 new inhabitants. 

Almost half of the additions to the municipal census are between 25 and 39 years old, and around 85% of new residents are foreigners. 

In fact, for the first time, foreigners make up more than a quarter of the Barcelona population. 

Barcelona's population peaked at 1,906,998 in 1979 before falling for two decades until the turn of the millenium, when it dipped under 1.5 million.  

The last year in which the population surpassed 1.7 million was 1990, according to the city council's statistics department. 

The figures are for the Barcelona City Council area only and don't include neighboring cities such as L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet or Sant Adrià de Besòs. 

85% of new residents are foreigners 

The 25-39 age group saw the biggest increase in the first seven months of 2023, with 20,474 new people registered, accounting for almost half of the total increase. 

The vast majority of new inhabitants in Barcelona are foreigners, around 85%. 

Residents with non-EU nationalities rose by 28,368 between January and August 2023, while residents from EU countries (excluding Spain) increased by 6,760. The number of Spanish passport holders increased by 6,328. 

In total, foreigners now amount to 427,119 people, 25.1% of the total – for the first time exceeding a quarter of the city's population. 

The most common nationality in Barcelona – after Spanish – is Italian (49,371 residents), followed by Colombian, Pakistani, Chinese, Peruvian and French. 

The number of Ukrainians in Catalonia has almost doubled since Russia's invasion, from just under 5,000 at the beginning of 2022 to 9,510 in August 2023. The number of Russians increased from 7,554 in March 2022 to 11,411 in August 2023. 

Looking at place of birth rather than nationality, the most common country of origin after Spain is Argentina, where 45,568 Barcelona residents were born, followed by Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Pakistan. 

According to municipal census data from January 1, 2023, more than half of Barcelona residents aged between 25 and 39 were born outside Spain, around 57%. Around 30% in that age group were born in the city, with 5% born elsewhere in Catalonia and 7% born elsewhere in Spain.