MigrantoSpanish Diaspora
1.6M Spaniards live abroad — 3% of the population of Spain
Spanish diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 39% of the diaspora
| 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 region
67% of the diaspora lives in Europe
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Key facts
The Spanish diaspora in numbers
The community in Romania is growing fastest
The number of Spaniards living in Romania has grown 215% since 2015, from 27K to 85.1K.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 30% to 16%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
4 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Romania, Ecuador, Ireland. Romania climbed from outside the top 20 to #5.
The share of the diaspora living in Latin America has declined since 1990
37.5% of the diaspora lived in Latin America in 1990, compared with 19.4% today.
Spanish diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1374696 |
| 1995 | 1238438 |
| 2000 | 1177275 |
| 2005 | 1126330 |
| 2010 | 1138608 |
| 2015 | 1307006 |
| 2020 | 1471585 |
| 2024 | 1623550 |
Largest communities over time
Spaniards living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| 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 communities
How the number of Spaniards in each country has changed since the selected year
Spaniards among immigrants in other countries
Where Spaniards make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Spaniards live outside Spain?
Around 1.6M Spaniards live abroad, the world's #50 largest diaspora.
Where do most Spaniards abroad live?
Most Spaniards live in France, United Kingdom and USA — these three countries account for about 39% of all Spaniards living abroad.
Which country has the largest Spanish population outside Spain?
France is home to the largest Spanish community abroad — 254.8K people, about 16% of all Spaniards living abroad.
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.
Is the Spanish diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Spaniards living abroad has grown from 1.3M to 1.6M, about 24%.
Where does the data on the Spanish diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Spain who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Spain
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