British nationals remain the province’s largest overseas community, but Colombians are closing the gap as migration patterns continue to change
Almost one in four people living in Alicante province is a foreign national, giving it the highest proportion of overseas residents of any province in Spain.
According to ASTI’s Statistical Overview of the Foreign Population in Alicante Province 2026, there were 497,387 foreign nationals living in the province on January 1, 2025—an increase of 32,786 in just one year.
They represented 24.5% of Alicante’s total population of 2.03 million.
Alicante ranks third nationally for the total number of foreign residents, behind only Madrid and Barcelona, but leads Spain when the figure is calculated as a proportion of its population.
It is also home to 47.1% of all foreign residents in the Valencian Community, compared with 41.6% in Valencia province and 11.3% in Castellón.
Migration patterns changing
British nationals remain Alicante’s largest foreign community, with 68,904 residents, accounting for 13.9% of the overseas population. However, their number fell by 1,882, marking a third consecutive annual decline.
Colombians have moved into second place after their population increased by 8,227 in a single year to reach 51,224.
They are followed by Moroccans, with 49,749 residents; Ukrainians, 32,831; Romanians, 24,034; and Algerians, 23,662.
Together, these six nationalities account for 50.3% of Alicante’s foreign population. Particularly strong growth was recorded among Algerian residents, whose number increased by 3,831, while the Ukrainian, Moroccan and Dutch communities also expanded.
The gender balance is almost even, with men representing 50.2% and women 49.8%. However, women form the majority among residents from Europe and the Americas, while men predominate among African and Asian communities.
Foreign population concentrated in key municipalities
Foreign residents are not distributed evenly across the province.
Alicante city has the largest number, with 76,685, followed by Torrevieja with 49,699, Elche with 35,421, Orihuela with 30,946 and Benidorm with 26,862.
Together, these five municipalities are home to 219,613 foreign nationals—44.2% of the provincial total.
However, foreign residents account for an even greater share of the population in several smaller municipalities. In Rojales, they represent 68.1% of residents, followed by San Fulgencio at 66.8%, Calp at 54.1%, Finestrat at 50.5% and L’Alfàs del Pi at 50.4%.
The concentration is also particularly evident in the Vega Baja. Vicariate I, which corresponds to the region, has 154,665 foreign residents, representing 38.6% of its population. Torrevieja and Orihuela alone account for 52.1% of the foreign population within this area.
Immigration helps offset demographic decline
The report highlights the increasingly important role of immigration in limiting Alicante’s demographic decline.
The province recorded 13,207 births and 16,946 deaths in 2024, producing a natural population decrease of 3,739.
Among foreign residents, however, the balance remained positive. There were 4,303 births compared with 3,065 deaths, producing natural growth of 1,238 people.
By contrast, the Spanish population recorded a natural decline of 4,977.
Foreign mothers now account for 32.6% of all births registered in Alicante—almost one in three. Moroccan and Colombian women represent the largest groups, accounting for 20.8% and 18.5% of births to foreign mothers respectively.
The report concludes that immigration is helping to ease the province’s demographic imbalance as its population continues to age.
Growing role in employment and education
Foreign nationals are also playing an increasingly significant role in Alicante’s workforce.
At the end of 2025, 135,550 foreign workers were registered with Social Security, an annual increase of 10,457. They represented 17.8% of all registered workers in the province, with 66.1% coming from outside the European Union.
Their presence is especially significant in agriculture, where foreign workers account for 54.7% of the workforce, and domestic service, where the proportion reaches 35.3%.
A similar trend can be seen in Alicante’s classrooms. During the 2024–2025 academic year, the province had 77,949 foreign pupils, representing 21.5% of the student population and an increase of 5,367 from the previous year.
The largest group came from the Americas, followed by Africa and other European countries.
Rise in Spanish citizenship
The number of foreign residents obtaining Spanish citizenship also continued to grow.
A total of 9,460 people were granted Spanish nationality through residency in Alicante during 2025, up by 113 on the previous year.
Colombians received the largest number of approvals, with 1,655, closely followed by Moroccans with 1,651 and Venezuelans with 791.
Together, these three nationalities accounted for 43.3% of all citizenship applications approved in the province.
