Girona sees smallest rise in population

The province of Girona had 840,086 residents as of 1 July 2026, according to provisional data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) Continuous Population Statistics (ECP) report. This marks an increase of 4,363 people, or 0.52%, over the previous year. Among Catalonia’s four provinces, Girona recorded the lowest growth rate. Tarragona led with a 1.6% rise (14,112 more residents), followed by Lleida at 1.3% (6,279 more), and Barcelona at 0.8% (47,396 more).

Catalonia’s population reaches 8.23 million

Catalonia’s total population stood at 8.23 million on 1 July 2026, up by 72,150 people (0.9%) from the previous year. This growth is driven primarily by the arrival of foreign-born residents, who increased by 90,000 over the year. Foreign-born residents now number 2.16 million, accounting for 26.2% of Catalonia’s population. Those with foreign nationality make up 19.3% of the total, a gap explained by individuals born abroad who have acquired Spanish citizenship.

The population increase is due to the arrival of foreign-born residents, with 90,000 more people in one year.

Growth has been uneven within Girona’s territory. While the province gained over 9,000 residents in 2024 according to final INE register data published for 1 January 2025, 72 of its 221 municipalities (32.5%) lost population. Most declines were small, with half involving 10 or fewer residents.

Foreign-born individuals are especially prominent in the 25–44 age group, where they make up over 40% of the population. Among Catalans aged 30 to 40, nearly half were born abroad. Nationally, Spain’s population rose by 104,178 in the second quarter of 2026, reaching 49.8 million. Catalonia ranked seventh in regional growth for that period at 0.27%. The largest increases were seen in the Valencian Community (0.43%), the Balearic Islands (0.36%), and Asturias (0.29%). The main nationalities of recent immigrants to Spain were Colombian, Venezuelan, and Moroccan. Over the past decade, Catalonia has gained more than 780,000 residents and now has 10.5% more people than in 2016.

Reported by Berto Sagrera, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Lurdes Artigas Casals, Jesús García Bueno, Diari de Girona.