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E.g., 04/20/2024
Country Resource - Spain
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Spain

ES
  • Population..............................................................................47,222,613 (2023 est.)
  • Population growth rate ..................................................................0.12% (2023 est.)
  • Birth rate.....................................................7.12 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Death rate................................................10.11 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Net migration rate...................................4.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
  • Ethnic groups*..........................................Spanish 84.8%, Moroccan 1.7%, Romanian 1.2%, other 12.3% (2021 est.)

* Data represent population by country of birth

CIA World Factbook

Farmworkers in Murcia, Spain
Profile
April 18, 2023

A Pragmatic Bet: The Evolution of Spain’s Immigration System

Historically a country of emigration, Spain rapidly transitioned to become one of Europe’s major immigration destinations in just a few years. Remarkably, this evolution occurred with minimal political backlash, even as the country suffered through a crippling economic and labor crisis. This country profile examines the trends and policies that led to this astonishing development.

Recent Activity

Feature
June 28, 2007
Latin American Immigration to Southern Europe

Although most Latin Americans head to North America, the increasing flow of people from Latin America to Southern Europe reflects colonial and historical patterns as well as new economic opportunities. Beatriz Padilla and João Peixoto examine various data that show the region's popularity.

Feature
June 7, 2007
The Merits and Limitations of Spain's High-Tech Border Control

Since 2000, Spanish authorities have used a technology-driven system for detecting and apprehending migrants attempting to reach Spanish territory by boat. Jørgen Carling of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo explains how smugglers have responded and why illegal migration to Spain continues.

Feature
November 1, 2006
Migrations Transsahariennes vers l'Afrique du Nord et l'UE: Origines Historiques et Tendances Actuelles

L'Europe du Sud connaît trop bien la migration irrégulière à partir des pays de l'Afrique du Nord comme le Maroc, l'Algérie et la Tunisie. Depuis le début des années 1990, de milliers de nord-africains ont tenté de traverser la Méditerranée afin d'atteindre l'Espagne et l'Italie.

Feature
November 1, 2006
Trans-Saharan Migration to North Africa and the EU: Historical Roots and Current Trends

Sub-Saharan Africans are increasingly migrating to North African countries, with some using the region as a point of transit to Europe and some remaining in North Africa. Hein de Haas of the University of Oxford examines the the region’s migration trends.

Top Ten
December 1, 2005
Extreme Measures: What Migrants Are Willing to Do to Get in and What Governments Will Do to Stop Them

With some countries narrowing their legal immigration channels, raising the bar for asylum, and increasing security measures at airports and land borders, migrants took unprecedented – and deadly – risks that captured headlines in 2005.

Top Ten
December 1, 2005
Challenges of Immigrant Integration: Muslims in Europe

Only recently have European politicians and public opinion leaders talked about the need to focus on the integration of immigrants and their children.

Feature
September 1, 2005
Regularizing Immigrants in Spain: A New Approach

Spain’s latest regularization program, unlike in the past, is part of a more comprehensive approach to combating illegal immigration and employment. Joaquín Arango of Complutense University of Madrid and Maia Jachimowicz outline the program and provide some preliminary results.

Feature
June 1, 2004
The Changing Mosaic of Mediterranean Migrations

Martin Baldwin-Edwards of Panteion University examines new trends in the long-established phenomenon of migration within the Mediterranean basin.

Feature
February 1, 2003
España: Hacia una nueva política migratoria

En la última mitad de la década de los 90, la inmigración llegó a ser un tema de vital importancia para los políticos y el público español.

sp map
Profile
February 1, 2003
Spain: Forging an Immigration Policy
In the mid-1990s, immigration became a matter of vital importance to Spain's political elites and in the eyes of the public.

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Safe or Sorry? Prospects for Britons in the European Union after Brexit
Reports
November 2017

Safe or Sorry? Prospects for Britons in the European Union after Brexit

Amid ongoing Brexit negotiations, much remains uncertain for the roughly 1 million UK citizens living elsewhere in the European Union. This report offers a demographic profile of these Brexpats, considering what form an EU-UK deal on citizens’ rights might take and identifying key challenges many Britons are likely to face—including difficulty securing legal status and accessing labor markets, social security, and health-care systems.

coverthumb TCM Partnerships Mediterranean
Reports
November 2017

Beyond Transactional Deals: Building Lasting Migration Partnerships in the Mediterranean

Since the 2015–16 refugee crisis, European policymakers have eagerly sought cooperation with origin and transit countries in the hopes of stemming unauthorized migration to Europe. This approach is neither new, nor without its limitations. By examining the evolution of two longstanding Mediterranean partnerships—between Spain and Morocco, and Italy and Tunisia—this report offers insights on what has and has not worked.

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Reports
March 2016

Spain: New Emigration Policies Needed for an Emerging Diaspora

This report discusses Spain’s changing migration patterns in the wake of dramatic economic downturn, paying special attention to the effects of the emigration of young, native-born Spaniards. The report also focuses on policies geared toward engaging the increasing number of Spaniards abroad, finding that much of Spain's policy towards diasporas predates the 1980s.

coverthumb Into the Mainstream
Reports
June 2015

Into the Mainstream: Rethinking Public Services for Diverse and Mobile Populations

Despite the broad appeal of the concept of "mainstreaming" in integration policy in Europe, few agree on its exact meaning. This report synthesizes the findings of the UPSTREAM project's country case studies, which examined the extent to which governments in France, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom are employing mainstreaming to meet the needs of rapidly diversifying populations.

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Reports
November 2014

Aiming Higher: Policies to Get Immigrants into Middle-Skilled Work in Europe

This report is the final one in an MPI-International Labour Office series that examines the employment prospects of migrants in the EU (focusing on the case-study countries of the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), as well as the effectiveness of integration and workforce development policies in helping these workers overcome barriers and ascend out of low-skilled work.
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Reports
October 2014

Turning a Corner? How Spain Can Help Immigrants Find Middle-Skilled Work

The economic crisis of 2008 hit Spain with a disproportionate effect on those in temporary work, revealing underlying gaps in the policy framework meant to support the inclusion of both immigrants and other vulnerable individuals in the Spanish labor market. This report assesses how well recent reforms are filling these gaps and helping immigrants and other disadvantaged workers move into middle-skilled jobs.
coverthumb DG Empl Data Overview
Reports
July 2014

Moving Up or Standing Still? Access to Middle-Skilled Work for Newly Arrived Migrants in the European Union

The global economic crisis and changing migration patterns in Europe bring up questions about how well immigrants are able to find employment and progress into better jobs over time. This overview report caps a series of six country case studies evaluating the employment outcomes for foreign-born workers during their first decade in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
cover DGEmployment Spain
Reports
March 2014

A Precarious Position: The Labor Market Integration of New Immigrants in Spain

This report assesses how new immigrants to Spain fare in the country's labor market, evaluating the conditions under which they are able to find employment, and their progress out of unskilled work into middle-skilled jobs. The report is part of a series of six case studies on labor market outcomes among immigrants to European Union countries.

Cover_Arango
Reports
March 2013

Exceptional in Europe? Spain's Experience with Immigration and Integration

This report examines why Spain, one of the countries hit hardest by the economic crisis with some of Europe’s highest levels of unemployment, has not seen a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment. The report describes how the government and general populace have responded to immigration before and after the onset of the economic crisis, and highlights possible reasons for Spain’s exceptional openness.

ImmigrantIntegration Austerity Cover
Reports
March 2011

Immigrant Integration in Europe in a Time of Austerity

The global economic downturn and rising debt levels in all European countries have put immigration at the forefront of many debates surrounding public spending. This report presents a diversity of findings with regard to European governments' responses to immigrant integration organization, financing, and programs.

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