MigrantoSpanish Diaspora
1.6M Spaniards live abroad — the #50 largest diaspora in the world
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 39% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| France | 254830 |
| United Kingdom | 211894 |
| USA | 168755 |
| Germany | 166899 |
| Romania | 85101 |
| Switzerland | 71167 |
| Venezuela | 67085 |
| Belgium | 58242 |
| Argentina | 54371 |
| Netherlands | 43909 |
| Italy | 37029 |
| Brazil | 33197 |
| Uruguay | 24980 |
| Andorra | 23577 |
| Mexico | 21623 |
| Ecuador | 21320 |
| Ireland | 20849 |
| Portugal | 20446 |
| Colombia | 19547 |
| Australia | 19279 |
| Chile | 18086 |
| Sweden | 15166 |
| Bolivia | 15148 |
| Peru | 13320 |
| Poland | 12179 |
| Canada | 11315 |
| Denmark | 10780 |
| Austria | 10355 |
| Bulgaria | 10245 |
| Norway | 8173 |
| Dominican Republic | 7844 |
| Panama | 6784 |
| Luxembourg | 6528 |
| Morocco | 4797 |
| Japan | 3896 |
| Finland | 3586 |
| Costa Rica | 3132 |
| Hungary | 3066 |
| China | 2945 |
| Czech Republic | 2806 |
| Puerto Rico | 2353 |
| Gibraltar | 2114 |
| Israel | 1993 |
| Russia | 1672 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 1658 |
| Guatemala | 1560 |
| Iceland | 1497 |
| Slovakia | 1418 |
| Haiti | 1327 |
| Greece | 1277 |
| Guinea | 1101 |
| Paraguay | 1018 |
| Lithuania | 878 |
| Libya | 818 |
| Malta | 787 |
| Egypt | 786 |
| Estonia | 744 |
| South Africa | 641 |
| El Salvador | 549 |
| Honduras | 546 |
| Nicaragua | 498 |
| Hong Kong | 432 |
| Taiwan | 411 |
| Namibia | 380 |
| Cuba | 357 |
| Moldova | 303 |
| Liechtenstein | 285 |
| Serbia | 276 |
| Slovenia | 231 |
| Latvia | 203 |
| Croatia | 167 |
| Cyprus | 162 |
| Cape Verde | 157 |
| Bahamas | 124 |
| New Caledonia | 118 |
| Mauritania | 97 |
| French Polynesia | 80 |
| Liberia | 40 |
| Cayman Islands | 35 |
| Sri Lanka | 34 |
| Belarus | 33 |
| Curaçao | 31 |
| Bermuda | 31 |
| Mauritius | 26 |
| Seychelles | 23 |
| Georgia | 17 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 11 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 67%
1.1M
314.8K
180.1K
19.5K
10.5K
7.7K
2.2K
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Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Spain.
Romania is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to Romania has increased by 215% since 2015, rising from 27K to 85.1K in 9 years.
Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990
The top destination's share fell from 30% to 16%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
4 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Romania, Ecuador, Ireland — Romania rose from outside the top 20 to rank #5.
The share of emigrants going to Latin America has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Latin America has shifted from 37.5% to 19.4% since 1990.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1374696 |
| 1995 | 1238438 |
| 2000 | 1177275 |
| 2005 | 1126330 |
| 2010 | 1138608 |
| 2015 | 1307006 |
| 2020 | 1471585 |
| 2024 | 1623550 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | France | United Kingdom | USA | Germany | Romania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 418359 | 37601 | 101820 | 99765 | 100 |
| 1995 | 373534 | 44692 | 82362 | 99233 | 143 |
| 2000 | 334416 | 52956 | 112414 | 96669 | 196 |
| 2005 | 306890 | 65657 | 114571 | 75548 | 946 |
| 2010 | 283624 | 81989 | 127257 | 72088 | 8766 |
| 2015 | 285827 | 117365 | 141349 | 118056 | 27022 |
| 2020 | 276834 | 172026 | 155463 | 145118 | 57063 |
| 2024 | 254830 | 211894 | 168755 | 166899 | 85101 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Spain as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Spain
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
Where do Spaniards move to?
Most Spaniards have moved to France, United Kingdom and USA — these three countries account for about 39% of all Spaniards living abroad.
How many Spaniards live abroad?
Around 1.6M Spaniards live abroad, making it the #50-largest emigrant population in the world.
What share of the population of Spain lives abroad?
About 3% of the population of Spain lives abroad — that's 1.6M out of a total population of 48.8M.
How has emigration from Spain changed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the emigrant population from Spain has grown from 1.3M to 1.6M people, a growth of about 24%.
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