The number of registered city residents has been growing again for the first time since the pandemic
The first signs of growth in the city’s registered resident population following a two-year drop. The number of officially registered residents on 1 January 2023 was 1,660,435, up by 1.2% on the previous year. This is the second highest figure since 1991, only exceeded by that for 2019, representing a two-year period marked by the effects of the Covid pandemic and its impact on mortality and migration.The rise in the population is due to the arrival of 26,600 newcomers, making up for the drop in number of births. The 11,300 births registered throughout 2022 represent the lowest figure since 1900, with the exception of 1939.
The city remains attractive to immigrants thanks to the dynamism of its labour market and international position. Also on the rise is the number of registered residents born outside the city which, for the fourth year running, is higher than number for those born in it. Barcelona is reaffirming its cosmopolitism: home to a population with 178 different nationalities.
Other important indicators that can be observed from a reading of the municipal register of city residents include:
- The average age of the population is 44.1 years.
- Women represent 52.4% of the entire population, a proportion that has remained much the same for over 20 years. The percentage grows from the age of 45 on.
- There are 912 centenarians in the city, down by 2% on the previous year. 83% of those aged 100 or over are women.
- 35% of those registered aged sixteen and over have a university degree or high-level vocational training qualification. The percentage for foreign nationals living in Barcelona is 43.2%.
- There are 668,790 dwellings in the city. 32% of the total are single households (214,000 households)
- The most popular names for newborns are, for girls, Emma, Olívia, Júlia, Sofia, Martina, Lucia, Ona, Mia, Gala and Aina and, for boys, Leo, Bruno, Pau, Pol, Mateo, Àlex, Marc, Martí, Nil, Eric and Lucas.
- Of the 178 nationalities living together in the city, Italian is the largest after Spanish, followed by Colombian, Pakistani and Chinese.
You can see the report here on The population in Barcelona prepared by the Department of Statistics and Data Dissemination based on a reading of the Municipal Register of City Residents on 1 January 2023.