Over half of foreigners in Spain arrived under Sánchez

More than half of the foreign residents in Spain arrived since Sánchez took office at La Moncloa

Official data from the Continuous Population Survey as of April 2026 put the foreign population at 10.15 million. Of these, approximately 5.49 million (54%) would have entered during Pedro Sánchez's time in office, according to calculations based on INE figures. The pace has accelerated: in 2016, 208,353 people arrived; in 2024 the figure soared to 1,215,338, almost six times more.

The weight of regularizations and the grandchildren law

Extraordinary measures add to the ordinary migratory flow: the regularization of half a million migrants and the grandchildren law (a law granting Spanish citizenship to descendants of Spaniards abroad), which could grant nationality to up to 2.5 million descendants of Spaniards. Both processes will expand the electoral roll of voters of foreign origin, a factor that causes concern in part of the political analysis.

Impact on housing and the labor market

The mass arrival of population has coincided with a sharp rise in housing prices. The causal link is debated, although the pressure on rental demand in tight areas is undeniable. While some celebrate demographic growth as an economic engine, others point to the lack of migration control as the trigger for rising land costs.

An unprecedented demographic change

In just eight years, Spain has altered its population composition at a pace unknown since the years of the real estate boom. 50.7% of current foreigners arrived after the 2018 no-confidence vote. If the trend continues, the country will exceed 12 million foreign residents before 2030, with all the social and economic consequences that entails.