Girona is at the head of Catalonia in percentage of population born abroad, reaching 27.87% as of January 1st of this year according to provisional data from the National Statistics Institute. This figure exceeds the Catalan average, which stands at 26.1%, and reflects an increase compared to the previous year, when the percentage was 27.28%. In 2016, the figure was significantly lower, at 19.96%.
Girona leads the presence of foreign population in Catalonia
The province of Girona maintains the highest percentage of population born outside of Spain within Catalan territory. Behind it are Barcelona with 26.09%, Lleida with 25.86%, and Tarragona with 24.69%. Girona also ranks among the provinces with the highest proportion of residents born abroad at the state level, only surpassed by Alicante, which exceeds 30%, and the Balearic Islands, with 29.3%.
In absolute terms, the number of people with foreign nationality in Catalonia has reached its historical maximum, with 1,580,598 residents at the beginning of the year. In Girona, 21.95% of the population has foreign nationality, which represents 183,979 people, also above the Catalan average, which stands at 19.3%.
Demographics and recent evolution
The total population of Catalonia has reached 8,208,894 inhabitants, representing an increase of 84,768 people, equivalent to 1% more compared to the previous year. In the province of Girona, the census stands at 837,917 inhabitants, with an increase of 0.9% compared to 2025. The gender distribution shows 420,659 men and 417,258 women in Girona.
The segment of centenarian people in Girona reaches 279, of which 222 are women. Population statistics continue to be provisional and will be revised every quarter until the publication of the new population census at the end of the year.
Migration movements and predominant nationalities
At the state level, for the first time, foreign-born individuals exceed ten million people, reaching 10,004,581 inhabitants out of a total of 49,570,725 residents. During the fourth quarter of 2025, the main nationalities of immigrants arriving in Spain were Colombian, with 36,600 arrivals, Venezuelan, with 27,000, and Moroccan, with 22,000.
In the same period, the most numerous nationalities among emigrants were Moroccan, with 13,000 departures, Colombian, with 12,500, and Spanish, with 7,900. The definitive migration figures will be published in the annual Migration and Residence Change Statistics.