Skip to main content

Foreigners with residence card. By sex and by age groups. Provinces

Foreigners with a valid certificate of registration or residence card. By sex and by age groups. Provinces Catalonia
By sex Men Women By age groups (1) From 0 to 15 years From 16 to 64 years More than 64 years
2022 1,426,386 748,420 677,966 1,426,386 163,046 1,181,882 81,458
2021 1,319,207 697,673 621,534 1,319,207 157,683 1,090,602 70,922
2020 1,278,127 677,654 600,473 1,278,127 156,999 1,057,161 63,967
2019 1,253,913 665,376 588,537 1,253,913 162,631 1,033,341 57,941
2018 1,194,947 636,747 558,200 1,194,947 158,760 984,471 51,716
2017 1,146,319 613,765 532,554 1,146,319 155,451 943,942 46,926
2016 1,104,782 594,170 510,612 1,104,782 153,301 908,967 42,514
2015 1,085,472 585,572 499,900 1,085,472 156,327 890,315 38,830
2014 1,085,523 585,854 499,669 1,085,523 164,387 885,356 35,780
2013 1,103,073 594,625 508,448 1,103,073 174,625 895,906 32,542
2012 1,109,449 598,804 510,645 1,109,449 179,679 900,279 29,491
Source:
2012-2013: Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social. Observatorio Permanente de la Immigración.
2014-2018: Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security.
2019-2022: Ministry Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations.
Note: (1) The total includes those that "state no age".

Last update: December 21, 2023.

Methodological note

Definition of concepts

Foreign
Person that does not have Spanish nationality, notwithstanding the stipulations of special laws and international treaties signed by Spain (Organic Law 4/2000, of January 11, on rights and liberties of foreigners in Spain and their social integration).
Foreign residents
Number of foreigners, according to the records of the Permanent Observatory of Immigration of the Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs, which on a determinate date reside in Catalonia and have a valid residence permit. The data is stock-type information recorded on December 31 every year.

Methodological aspects

These statistics are obtained from files produced by the Central Register of Foreigners, an administrative record managed by the Directorate General of the Police and the Civil Guard, which is part of the Ministry for the Interior.

The statistical treatment of these files corresponds to the Permanent Immigration Observatory, which is part of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security.

These are stock statistics that are produced quarterly. They count and analyse the number of foreigners with a valid registry certificate or residency card at the end of each quarter.

The legislation applicable to foreigners residing in Spain depends on their residency system and this, to a large extent, on the nationality of foreigners.

These statistics do not include the following foreigners:

  • Those that are only staying temporarily in Spain (three months per half-year).
  • Those that are in Spain with a permit to be in the country for a course, studies, research work, training or volunteering.
  • Trans-frontier workers that do not reside in Spain.
  • Applicants for asylum or persons that have obtained refugee or expatriate status.
  • Foreigners from the European Union that have not applied for inscription to the Central Registry of Foreigners or that have applied for it but have not yet received the corresponding certificate.
  • Foreigners whose documentation has expired and are in the process of renewing it.

Foreigners authorised to remain in Spain must inform the Immigration Office or the police headquarters in the place where they reside or are staying of any changes of nationality, usual abode or marital status.

The country of nationality is considered to be the nationality of the foreigner. In the case of dual nationality, the one counted is that used by the foreigners when making the application for a registration permit, card or certificate.

The province is that in which the foreigner reports that they reside at the moment when their currently applicable registration certificate of residency card is issued.

Data from 2010 onward has been reviewed with the aim of excluding persons who have been granted Spanish nationality and foreigners who have expired, in Spain, and whose residence permits were valid at the time of their death.

Data are on December, 31.

Unavailable information is represented using the symbol ":". When the value is lower than that of the minimum unit to be able to estimate the statistical operation or if it effects statistical confidentiality, the symbol used is "..".