Three out of every four new residents in the province of Alicante are foreigners

The province of Alicante concluded 2024 with a population nearing 2.03 million people, securing its position as the fourth most populous region in Spain, following Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, and ahead of other areas like Seville or Malaga, which do not reach two million inhabitants.

The last quarter of the previous year saw a population increase of nearly 11,000 people compared to the preceding three months and almost 36,000 residents in just one year, according to data from the Continuous Population Survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

Part of the reason for this significant population growth is the foreign population, which is growing at a much faster rate compared to national residents. From one year to the next, the non-Spanish population increased by 28,293 people, accounting for 78% of the total annual increase.

This means that more than three out of every four new inhabitants in the province of Alicante are foreigners. Comparing the last quarter of 2024 with the previous one, this population segment increased by 8,357 people.

These figures are much higher than those of the Spanish population, which remains stagnant. Between 2023 and 2024, national residents grew by 7,631 people, 2,339 of them in the last quarter of the year. They account for only 12% of the total annual population growth.

Currently, in the province of Alicante, there are 1,536,319 Spaniards, while 492,894 people are of foreign origin, with more men (2,000) than women, unlike the group of national residents, where there are 34,000 more women than men.

The population of Alicante has grown at a rapid pace over the last century. In the last decade, the population has increased by 190,635 people, a figure that rises to 367,533 over the last twenty years. Of this growth, 214,260 people are foreigners, compared to 153,293 Spanish residents.

By age, the bulk of the Alicante population is of working age, with the 45 to 49 age group being the largest, followed by those aged 50 to 54 and 55 to 59.

The ageing of the population is notable, with 426,451 people aged between 65 and over 90 years, this group being much larger among Spanish residents.