The Observatory divides all legal migrants into three large groups:
- There are 3,804,191 citizens of the EU and EFTA (European Free Trade Association). They have a certificate of registration.
- Citizens of non-EU countries live with 3,497,284 people using standard residence permits under the immigration system.
- The British and their family members 199,469 people have a special alien identification card (TIE) under the Brexit Agreement.
Among the owners of the first and third groups (EU + EFTA + Brexit), Romanians (more than 1.13 million) hold the clear lead, followed by Italians (514,054) and the British (382,474). Together, they account for more than half (51%) of the total.
It is interesting that the average age of holders of such permits is 44 years (it did not change from year to year, but it became 5 years higher than a decade ago). The gender balance is stable: 51% of men and 49% of women.
The British
From July 2020 to December 2025, more than 280,000 Britons and their relatives applied for Brexit documents. About 251,000 (89%) have already received them.
Only three provinces accounted for half of all approved applications (51%).:
- Alicante - almost 64,000 (26%)
- Malaga - more than 44,000 (18%)
- Balearic Islands - about 18,500 (7%)
At the same time, 64% of applicants are over 50 years old, and most of the applications were submitted by citizens aged 65 and older.
Foreigners from other countries
The category of foreigners who have obtained a residence permit under the general immigration system (non-EU and non-British) has grown to 3,497,284 people. This is 288,253 more people (+9%) than in December 2024. Over the past 10 years (since 2015), their number has increased by 1.38 million.
The national composition of this group is diverse:
- 35% are from Africa
- 33% are from Central and South America
- 16% are from Asia
- 15% of non-EU European countries
Source: La Moncloa
