Latin American immigration: 5 or 15 million in Spain?

Latin American immigration: 5 or 15 million in Spain?

How many Latin Americans actually live in Spain? According to the INE (Spain's national statistics institute), as of 2025 there are between 4.7 and 5 million people born in Latin America, 10% of the population. But in some circles it is claimed that the real figure is double or triple that number, once naturalized citizens, children born in Spain and, above all, irregular immigration are included. Alternative estimates range from 10 to 16 million, a spread that challenges the official narrative and brings a silenced phenomenon into the open.

The INE versus the alternative figures

INE data count 9.46 million people born abroad, half of them Latin American. However, those who defend higher figures argue that the municipal register fails to capture irregular migrants and that immigration has accelerated over the past five years: "an average of 1 million arrivals per year", according to one analysis. They add that, counting descendants and naturalized citizens, the Latin American community could reach 12 or 13 million, particularly visible in sectors such as construction and hospitality.

A debate that divides opinion

The discrepancy is no small matter: if the higher estimates were accepted, the Latin American population would far outnumber other immigrant groups, reshaping the sociodemographic map. While some see these figures as proof that border control has been lost, others dismiss them as self-serving exaggeration. Business associations and liberals, it is said, prefer not to make noise because the real numbers would clash with their open-borders narrative.

The figure is elusive. Nobody knows for sure how many Latin Americans live in Spain, but the question is undeniably uncomfortable.