Barcelona’s population stayed broadly flat in 2025, with the city recording 1,729,963 registered residents, a slight fall of 0.1% from the previous year, according to the municipal register study. The figures mark a break from the growth seen in 2023 and 2024.
The city council says the slowdown is linked to a low birth rate, an ageing population and more moderate migratory flows than in earlier years. For readers following wider Catalonia coverage, see our news page for more local reporting.
The study also shows Barcelona’s population is getting older. The average age is now 44.6 years, and the city has reached a record 1,196 centenarians, eight in 10 of them women.
Natural change remains negative. In 2025, Barcelona recorded 14,557 deaths and 11,012 births, the second lowest birth figure since 1900. That left the city with 3,549 fewer inhabitants from births and deaths alone.
Barcelona-born residents now make up 44.6% of the total, a share that has fallen for more than 20 years. At the same time, the registered foreign national population rose to 460,409, up 0.7% year on year, and now accounts for 26.6% of residents. The city has people from 181 nationalities.
Across the districts, seven of the city’s 10 areas recorded small falls in population, while Ciutat Vella, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu saw slight increases. The study also shows educational attainment is rising, with 37.4% of residents aged 16 and over holding higher education qualifications. Among women the figure is 39.6%, compared with 35% for men.
