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LIFE IN SPAIN

Where in Spain do all the Canadians live?

There are over 5,000 Canadians who reside in Spain according to the latest government data. Here are the Spanish regions and cities where most of them are based and other interesting information for people hailing from the maple leaf nation.

Published: 10 August 2021 17:39 CEST
Updated: 29 March 2023 16:58 CEST
Where in Spain do all the Canadians live?
Barcelona is home to more than a fifth of Canadians who live in Spain. Photo: Joaquin Aranoa/Pixabay

A total of 5,385 Canadian nationals lived in Spain in 2022, 2,531 men and 2,854 women, according to latest data by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE)

It’s a number that’s around seven times smaller than the number of US nationals who are based in España (41,953) but higher than that of other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

While these figures are based on the padrón (town hall registry), and therefore may exclude Canadian citizens who have moved within Spain and not updated their registration in their new town or city, they do enable us to get a pretty good idea of where in Spain most canadienses live.

Other sources estimate the real number of Canadians living in Spain could be around 10,000. 

Barcelona on top

A total of 1,484 Canadian nationals are based in the northeastern region Catalonia, and almost all of them have made the Catalan capital their home away from home.

There’s even a Facebook group called Canadians in Barcelona with 1.5K members. 

There’s also a Canadian Consulate close to the city’s central Plaça de Catalunya square.

Andalusia is the second most popular

The southern region of Andalusia is home to 1,065 Canadians, the second most popular Spanish region for people from Canada.

There’s a Canadian Consulate in the city of Málaga and the majority of Canadians live in the city.  

Madrid comes in third

The Spanish capital region has 970 Canadians registered at the city hall (most of them in Madrid city), reflecting again their overall preference for Spain’s big cities, the same as what happens with US nationals. 

Apart from having the Canadian Embassy in Spain within easy reach, they can also meet fellow Canadians through the Canadian Club of Madrid Facebook group.   

Valencia region also loved by Canadians

Spain’s eastern Valencia region, where approximately one in six people are foreigners, has 791 Canadian citizens who are registered as residents. 

A small but even spread across the rest of Spain

The rest of the Canadian citizens who’ve moved to Spain’s 13 other autonomous communities aren’t big communities, but there are certainly enough people for a get-together in each. 

There are 244 Canadian nationals in the Balearic Islands, 220 in the Canary Islands, 120 in the Basque Country, 85 in Galicia, 77 in Murcia, 69 in Castilla y León, 56 in Castilla-La Mancha, 53 in Asturias, 48 in Cantabria, 31 in Aragón, 29 in Navarra, 25 in Extremadura and 18 in La Rioja. 

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau (R) poses for photos with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez. Photo: MARTIN OUELLET-DIOTTE / AFP)
 

Other interesting information for Canadians in Spain

As mentioned earlier, the Embassy of Canada in Spain is based in Madrid, and according to their website they provide consular services, as well as passport services and general enquiries. 

The current Canadian Ambassador to Spain and Andorra is Wendy Drukier, who took up her position at the end of 2020.

Homesick Canadians who are missing their country’s cuisine may be interested in knowing that there are a handful of Canadian restaurants across Spain. 

There’s an American and Canadian eatery in Madrid, La Gamella, which imports Canadian food products, and at least 15 Tim Hortons Canadian Coffee Houses in Madrid, Alicante, Valencia, Málaga and Mallorca. 

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LIFE IN SPAIN

More foreigners and people living alone: What Spain will be like in the future

Within three decades, new data reveals that there will continue to be more deaths than births in Spain, population growth will be mainly due to immigration and a third of all households will be occupied by a single person.

Published: 25 June 2024 10:39 CEST
More foreigners and people living alone: What Spain will be like in the future

Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) has released a report revealing what the country will look like all the way up to 2074. The figures have been based on how the population will evolve if current demographic trends continue.

Spain’s population will grow by five million

Spain currently has 48,692,804 inhabitants, but this number is set to grow by an extra 5 million by 2039. It’s important to note that the growth will not be equal across the country, and will only focus on specific areas. Much of the country will continue to suffer from depopulation.

Catalonia and Madrid will be the two regions with the greatest growth, with nearly 1.2 million and one million respectively. The greatest relative increases, however, will be recorded in the Balearic Islands (19.0 percent), Valencia (19 percent ) and Murcia (17.2 percent).

On the other hand, the steepest declines will be seen in Asturias (-4.1 percent), Extremadura (-3.4 percent) and Castilla y León (-0.7 percent).

READ ALSO: Growing number of foreigners drives Spain’s population rise

28 percent of the population will be over 65

Spain’s population is growing older and older, and by 2042, 28 percent will be over age 65 compared to the current 20.4 percent. Fast forward to 2055, and this will reach 30.5 percent.

Six percent of the population of Spain has already turned 80, but in 2074 this will double, reaching 12.3 percent. And within 15 years the number of even older people will practically triple. Centenarians will exceed 46,000 compared to nearly 17,000 this year.

Birthrates will increase

Spain’s birthrate has been in decline over recent years, but starting this year, it will begin to grow until 2042. The data predicts that 5.5 million children will be born in the next 15 years,  and the average number of children per woman will grow slightly, going from 1.16 registered this year to 1.24 in 2038.

In 2042, birthrates will begin to fall again, but from 2058 they will rise once more, due to more people having reached fertile ages. The number of births is also thought to be boosted by immigration, with more and more foreigners moving here and having children too.

But, the 5.5 million babies predicted to be born here between 2024 and 2038, will still be 8.7 less than those born in the previous 15 years.

Over a quarter of the population will have been born outside Spain

Spain’s population will not only grow thanks to increasing birthrates but more so because of the numbers of foreigners continuing to move here.

By 2039, the INE predicts that a total of 28.7 percent of the people living in Spain will have been born outside of the country. And by 2074 that figure will reach 39 percent.

This means the population born in Spain is set to gradually decrease, going from 81.9 percent today to 61 percent within 50 years.

READ ALSO: Spain needs 25 million foreign workers to keep its pensions afloat

7.7 million will live alone

It seems that Spaniards are increasingly choosing to live or will be forced to live on their own, with stats revealing that by 2039, one-third of households in the country will only be occupied by a single person.

This equates to 7.7 million single-person homes, compared to the current 5.4 million. In fact, in 2039 the most common type of household will be that of a single person – 33.5 percent of the total, ahead of the 31 percent of two-person households.