Foreign nationals accounted for more than half of Almeria’s population growth over the past year, according to new figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The province reached 788,934 residents on July 1, 2026, an increase of 11,554 compared with the same date in 2025.

Of those additional residents, 6,297 were foreign nationals, representing 54.5% of the total increase, while the Spanish-national population grew by 5,257.

The figures mean Almeria’s foreign population increased by 3.43% in just 12 months, almost four times faster than the 0.89% growth recorded among Spanish nationals.

There are now 190,047 foreign nationals living in the province, accounting for 24.1% of its population, compared with 23.6% a year earlier.

Data from 2025 shows that the highest number of new arrivals were from Morocco, counting 1,142, followed by Colombia (493), Peru (251) and the UK (222).

Almeria province is hugely popular among the British expat community, with more than 15,000 UK nationals currently living there.

The latest data also reveals significant differences in the ages of Spanish and foreign residents.

Almost half (48%) of foreign nationals living in family households are aged between 25 and 49, compared with just 31% of Spanish nationals.

Meanwhile, around 14.5% of foreign residents are aged 60 or over, compared with approximately 20% of Spaniards.

The figures suggest that Almeria’s foreign population is considerably younger and more concentrated in working-age groups.

However, the INE statistics measure changes in population by nationality, meaning the increase cannot be attributed solely to immigration.

Births, deaths, departures and changes in citizenship can also affect the totals.

Almeria is now just 11,066 residents away from reaching 800,000 inhabitants, a milestone it could achieve within another year if the current rate of growth continues.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.