52% of Barcelona’s international community is from Latin America

Barcelona’s international community is becoming increasingly diverse in terms of nationality, but perhaps the clearest reflection of the city’s diversity is the variety of birthplaces of its residents. 33.6% – that is, 1 in 4 Barcelona residents – were born abroad, 11% more than 10 years ago.

The Latin American community has grown significantly in recent years, surpassing, among others, the Moroccan community, which topped the rankings in the late 1990s and is now the seventh largest. A total of 300,300 registered residents in Barcelona were born in Latin American countries, representing more than 52% of the city’s foreign-born population.

All of this data is available in the latest report published by the Municipal Data Office of the Department of Statistics and Data Dissemination at Barcelona City Council (in Catalan).

Which are the main countries of origin?

Argentina currently tops the list, with more than 46,500 registered residents in Barcelona. This community has grown by nearly 50% since the pandemic, with around 5,000 new arrivals each year. Colombia follows closely, with 42,500 residents, followed by Peru with 38,800, and Venezuela with 33,000.

In fifth place we find the first non-Latin American country of origin: Pakistan, with 28,700 residents. And in eighth place the first European country of origin: Italy, with 23,100 residents.

The particularity of nationalities

The ranking changes when we talk about nationalities, with a total of 180 now living side by side in the city. A large part of the city residents arriving from Latin America already had or has since obtained Spanish nationality or that of another European country, such as Italy, through bilateral agreements between states.

That is why Italian ranks as the most common nationality after Spanish, even though in most cases the country of origin is in Latin America. Italian nationality is followed by Colombian, Pakistani, Chinese, and Peruvian.

Argentinian ranks as the tenth most common nationality, with 14,000 residents, revealing that two thirds of those born in Argentina and registered in Barcelona hold a European nationality.

A large part of the Latin American community holds a Spanish or European passport

Data from the Municipal Data Office also show that Latin Americans are the main group obtaining Spanish passports. As many as 72% of registered residents in Barcelona of Ecuadorian origin hold a Spanish passport, as do 64% of Dominicans, 62% of Bolivians, and 59% of Cubans.

Among Argentinians, 32% hold a Spanish passport, while 37% hold that of another European country, mainly Italian. A similar situation applies to registered residents of Brazilian origin, 50% of whom hold a European passport, mostly Spanish or Portuguese.