Population and Housing Census 2023. Migration

In the period 2021-2022, 537,953 people took up residence in Catalonia according to data from the 2023 Population Census. Of these, 85.0% were born abroad, 7.1% in the rest of Spain and 7.9% in Catalonia. These figures include people who arrived in Catalonia for the first time and people who had already lived there previously but had been temporarily living abroad.

Of the 7,901,963 inhabitants on 1 January 2023 by year of arrival in Catalonia, 4.0% arrived in 2022 (316,816), 2.8% in 2021, 6.6% between 2016-2020, 3.4% between 2011-2015, 8.9% between 2001-2010, 2.8% between 1991-2000, 1.8% between 1981-1990 and 11.4% before 1981. 58.2% have always lived in Catalonia (4,600,205 people).

The results show differences in the year of arrival by place of birth. Of the 4,975,830 inhabitants born in Catalonia, 4,600,205 have always lived there. Besides, 375,625 have lived outside Catalonia temporarily and returned to take up residence Catalonia (20,369 returned in 2022 and 22,106 in 2021).

Of the 1,151,646 inhabitants born in the rest of Spain, 802,269 arrived in Catalonia before 1981 (69.7%), 19,802 arrived in 2022 and 18,213 in 2021.

Of the 1,774,487 foreign-born people residing in Catalonia, 15.6% (276,645 people) last arrived in 2022 and 10.2% (180,818 people) in 2021. The period 2001-2010, when 568,399 people arrived (32.0%), also stands out.

For the first time, data are provided on the previous place of residence regardless of the year of migration. 28.6% of the population of Catalonia have always lived in the municipality in which they currently reside. 35.4% had previously lived in another municipality in the province and 6.3% in another province of Catalonia. 10.6% of the population previously lived in another autonomous community and 13.8% lived abroad. The previous place of residence is not recorded for 5.3% of the population.

In terms of residential mobility, 22.1% of the population has moved to their municipality of residence in the last five years. By counties and Aran, El Baix Penedès, where 32.1% of the population has settled in their municipality in the last five years, stands out followed by La Cerdanya (30.7%) and Aran (26.5%). By municipalities, there are 81 where more than a third of the population has arrived in the last five years. Talarn (54.4%), Puigverd d’Agramunt (44.1%) and Vilamòs (43.9%) stand out.

Idescat publishes the results of the 2022 and 2023 Population Censuses regarding migrations (year of arrival in the municipality, year of arrival in Catalonia, year of arrival in Spain and previous place of residence). It also includes an extension of migration results from the 2021 Population Census relating to migrants in the last year and migrants in the last decade. Data are provided for Catalonia, provinces, areas of the Territorial Plan, counties, municipalities, census tract groups and census tracts.

Idescat disseminates a set of migration indicators which can be viewed on interactive maps.