Moroccans Lead Surge in Number of Foreigners with Spanish

Rabat – Moroccans topped the list of foreign nationals acquiring Spanish citizenship in 2025, as Spain recorded its highest annual number of naturalizations in more than a decade, according to new data released on Thursday by the country’s National Statistics Institute (INE).

A total of 299,732 foreign residents obtained Spanish nationality last year, marking an 18.7% increase compared to 2024 and the highest figure recorded since the statistics series began in 2013.

Moroccan nationals represented the largest group among newly naturalized citizens, with 42,114 people obtaining Spanish nationality. Colombians followed with 37,712 naturalizations, ahead of Venezuelans with 36,271 and Hondurans with 20,745.

The figures further highlight the growing demographic and social presence of the Moroccan community in Spain, which continues to be the country’s largest foreign-born population group. According to separate INE census data, more than 1.16 million Morocco-born residents were living in Spain as of January 1, 2025.

The statistics also showed that women accounted for the majority of new Spanish citizens in 2025, representing 55.4% of all naturalizations, while men made up 44.6%. Adults between the ages of 30 and 39 formed the largest age group among recipients, followed by those aged 40 to 49.

Most citizenships were granted through legal residency procedures, which accounted for 253,836 cases. Another 45,715 people acquired nationality through “option” procedures, commonly used by individuals with Spanish parents or those who had previously been under the legal guardianship of Spanish citizens.

INE data further indicated that 83.3% of those who acquired Spanish nationality last year had previously lived abroad before settling in Spain, while 16.7% had always resided within the country.

Spain’s overall population now stands at more than 49 million people, with foreign-born residents accounting for nearly one in every five inhabitants, reflecting the country’s continued demographic transformation driven largely by migration.