people of non spanish origin in barcelona

Immigration to Spain

Spain is a popular destination for people of non-Spanish origin wishing to relocate. There are almost 6 million immigrants living in Spain which accounts for 12.8% of the country’s total population. A large proportion of these people come from within the European Union; the main countries of origin are Romania, Germany, Italy and the UK. In addition, Spain is home to a significant number of non-Europeans. For example, 800,000 people of non-Spanish origin came from Morocco, 317,000 from Ecuador and 250,000 from Colombia.

Demographics of Barcelona

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and is situated in northeastern Spain on the Mediterannean coast and is the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid. In addition, it is the third most visited city in Europe, after only London and Paris. Furthermore, with more than 1.62 million inhabitants, Barcelona is the 16th largest city in Europe. It is also renowned worldwide for its architecture, culture and cuisine.

People of Non-Spanish Origin Living in Barcelona

There are around 333,516 people of non-Spanish origin living in Barcelona which account for 20.2% (⅕) of the city’s total population. These people come from an estimated 179 different nations. In addition, the most popular nationality of people of non-Spanish origin living in Barcelona is Italian. Furthermore, the most cosmopolitan districts are Eixample and Ciutat Vella  with around 110,000 foreign-born people living there. 

Barcelona is popular among people of non-Spanish origin from Latin American nations which is perhaps unsurprising due to their linguistic proximity with Spanish as the official language in many of the countries. For example, there are significant communities of people from Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. 

In addition, Barcelona reflects the world’s linguistic diversity as more than 300 languages are spoken there. After the two co-official languages (Spanish and Catalan), the most spoken languages are Berber, Arabic, Bengali and Urdu. 

Here is a list of the top ten countries of origin for immigrants living in Barcelona (as of 2019): 

  1. Italy: 36,276
  2. China: 21,658
  3. Pakistan: 20,643
  4. France: 16,940
  5. Morocco: 14,418
  6. Colombia: 12,290
  7. Honduras: 11,744
  8. Peru: 10,558 
  9. Venezuela: 10,185
  10. Philippines: 9,439
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