<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>More than 7.4 million foreign citizens hold a residence certificate in Spain, 54 percent of whom have a European nationality, whether from the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, or the United Kingdom.</strong></h4> According to the latest report from the Permanent Immigration Observatory (OPI), under the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, as of September 30, 2025, the number of people with valid residence documents was 7,426,481, 4.5% more than the previous year. Of that total, 54% (4,008,348 people) hold an EU/EFTA (European Union/European Free Trade Association) citizen registration certificate or a Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) from the UK Withdrawal Agreement, a 1.5% increase (60,011 people) compared to the data recorded in September 2024. The most represented nationalities in this group are Romanian, Italian, and British, which together account for more than half (51%) of those with valid residence permits from the EU/EFTA and the UK. On the other hand, the report (published this Tuesday, December 9) indicates that 46% of foreigners with residence authorization are subject to immigration law. In figures, this represents 3,418,133 people, an 8.3% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Within this group, the nationalities with the largest representation are those from Morocco, Ukraine, and China, followed by people from Colombia and Venezuela. Over the last five years, this group has experienced a cumulative growth of 47.4%, largely due to the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive, which facilitated the granting of more than 236,000 residence permits to Ukrainian nationals. This figure represents more than one in five residence permits granted between June 2020 and June 2025. Conversely, the report highlights the slowdown in the growth of Ukrainian residence permits. As of December 31, 2022, the year-on-year change was 180.5%, mainly due to displacement caused by the Russian military invasion that began on February 24, 2022, and the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive. However, as of September 30, 2025, the year-on-year change had fallen to 8.3%. Foreigners with a registration certificate or TIE-Withdrawal Agreement (from Europe) have an average age of 44 years and a similar average between men (51%) and women (49%). However, there are differences in the age and sex distribution depending on the country of origin. For example, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands appear as the countries with the highest average age, at 57, 53, 50, and 49 years, respectively. In the case of the foreign population with residence permits under the immigration regime (with nationalities other than EU/EFTA or UK), the average age is 37 years, with a slight predominance of men (53%) over women (47%). Here too, we find significant differences between nationalities. Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia have the highest average age—between 41 and 43 years, with Ecuador and Bolivia standing out due to their accelerated aging in the last ten years. Regarding the under-16 age group, Ukraine stands out with 19% of the total, closely followed by Morocco and China, both with 18%.
