In recent years, the number of foreigners choosing to move to Barcelona has undergone a series of highs and lows. From the start of the 20th Century until the early 1970s, the norm was growth. In the 1980s and 1990s, the population declined and from the year 2000, it grew significantly again. The economic recession in 2008 once again had a negative effect but it resumed again by 2015.
The most recent statistics from Barcelona’s Municipal Register (Padron Municipal) shows that on 1st January 2017 Barcelona had a population of 1,625,137.
The number of registered foreigners in all Barcelona districts (except Clot) is on the up. In Barcelona there are now 288,675 foreigners, representing 17.81% of the total population. In 2016 this figure stood at 16.6% and in the mid-1990s foreigners represented just 2%.
The district with most resident foreigners is the Eixample (4,542), followed by Sant Martí (2,876) and Ciutat Vella (2,464). With regards to neighbourhoods, Nova Esquerra in Eixample has 982 registered foreigners, the Raval has 879, l’Antiga Esquerra in Eixample has 854, Eixample Dreta has 821, the Sagrada Família has 791 and Gràcia has 716.
By country of origin, all but 5 nationality groups grew from 2016 to 2017 with Italians, Chinese, Pakistanis and French representing the biggest foreign groups.
Out of the 1,625,137 registered inhabitants of Barcelona, there are 658,375 households, with an average of 2.47 people per household. 12.5% of Barcelona residents live alone, in 20% of homes there is at least one foreigner and 9.4% of homes are occupied by foreigners only.
“This is why an event like the Barcelona International Community Day is more important than ever” says Renzo Riva, co-founder of Atipika who are sponsoring the event for the third year in a row “With foreigners representing nearly a fifth of the population in Barcelona, there is an evident niche to cater for them, practically, socially, commercially and culturally. We recognize that the foreign community is becoming an increasingly significant part of this progressive city”
Last year the third Barcelona International Community Day attracted more than 4,000 participants from a total of 105 countries, of which 76% were foreigners. 67 exhibitors included a wide range of foreign institutions based in Barcelona, as well as numerous companies, schools, associations and clubs. We expect the fourth edition to be an equally successful event and look forward to seeing you there!
