Contributors and Affiliations to Social Security based on Contributors' Registered Place of Residence. 01/2026
The number of Social Security contributors in Catalonia increased by 83,560 people in January 2026 compared to the same month of the previous year, a figure that represents a 2.3% increase, and stands at 3,650,730 people, according to provisional data. Contributors increased in all counties except for L'Alta Ribagorça (−1.1%). The most notable increases, in relative terms, are those in El Baix Penedès (4.1%), Osona (3.9%) –although it should be noted that it is affected by the change in the county assignment of Aiguafreda–, Les Garrigues (3.4%), and El Tarragonès (3.1%).
In the municipalities of Catalonia, the number of contributors increased or remained stable in 82% of the municipalities (775 municipalities) compared to the same month of the previous year, while it decreased in the rest (172 municipalities). All municipalities with 50,000 inhabitants and over in Catalonia increased the number of contributors compared to a year ago, led in relative numbers by L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Manresa (3.5% in both cases).
Compared to December, the number of contributors decreased in Catalonia as a whole by 7,775 people (−0.2%), doing so in 27 counties and Aran, led by L'Alta Ribagorça (−2.2%), Aran (−1.7%), and El Tarragonès (−1.5%). Conversely, contributors increased in 15 counties, with the highest increase in L’Anoia (0.8%).
By sex, and compared to a year ago, the number of women Social Security contributors in Catalonia as a whole increased by 39,040 and that of men by 44,525, which represents year-over-year increases of 2.3% and 2.4%, respectively.
In Catalonia as a whole, the number of contributors increased in all age groups, with the most notable increase in the group of contributors aged 55 and over at 5.1%, followed by those under 30 at 5.0%.
Foreign national Social Security contributors increased in Catalonia as a whole by 5.7% compared to the same month of the previous year, and they did so in all territories except for L’Alta Ribagorça and El Priorat, where they remained stable. Spanish national Social Security contributors increased in Catalonia as a whole by 1.6%, and also in 36 counties.
The number of Social Security affiliations stood at 3,842,435 in January, a figure that represents a 2.4% increase compared to the same month of the previous year.
By sector, it should be noted that variations may be affected because the results of these statistics from January 2026 onwards are prepared using the new Catalan Classification of Economic Activities (CCAE-2025), which is a complete revision of the previous classification structure (CCAE-2009) used for results until December 2025.
Affiliations in the services sector increased by 2.9% year over year, growing throughout the territory except for La Terra Alta and El Solsonès, where they remained practically stable. In industry, affiliations increased by 1.7% in Catalonia as a whole and also did so in 34 counties and Aran. In the case of construction, affiliations decreased by 1.8% in Catalonia as a whole, and also in 23 counties and Aran, while there are 18 counties where the construction sector increased, and it remained stable in El Solsonès. Affiliations in agriculture increased by 1.1%, with 545 more affiliations than a year ago.
By type of working day, 19.3% of employee affiliations in January are part-time. In the case of women, the proportion is 26.0%, more than double that of men (12.7%).
Regarding temporality, the proportion of Social Security employee affiliations of a temporary nature stands at 9.8%. The counties with the highest level of temporary contract are El Pallars Sobirà (14.2%) and La Ribera d'Ebre (13.8%), and the one with the lowest level is El Baix Empordà (7.6%).