Colombians in Spain
Ethnic group in Spain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The presence of Colombians in Spain dates back to the 19th century. Colombians are a large migrant community in Spain, numbering over 1 million.[2]
| |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 978,041 (1 January 2025)[1] | |
| Languages | |
| Spanish | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Argentines in Spain Uruguayans in Spain | |
Colombians in Spain are the second biggest community of Colombians outside their country after Colombian Americans. Colombians migrate in Spain in large quantities due to various reasons, such as: economic reasons, insecurity in Colombia (related to the Colombian internal conflict), relatively open labor market, being easier to attain permanent residency compared to other European countries, and shared cultural links as both countries share the same language due to Colombia's history as a Spanish colony.[2]
Colombians in Spain are spread throughout the country, though many of them live in the cities. Their largest concentration is in Madrid.[3] Most of them settled after 2000, mostly in two waves, between 2000 to 2008 and from 2022 till today.
As of January 2025, 978,041 Colombians lived in Spain, of which 676,534 possessed only Colombian citizenship.[4]
Numbers
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 202,782 | — |
| 2003 | 248,985 | +22.8% |
| 2004 | 259,509 | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 273,496 | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 287,866 | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 309,759 | +7.6% |
| 2008 | 341,223 | +10.2% |
| 2009 | 368,451 | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 376,161 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 375,852 | −0.1% |
| 2012 | 373,632 | −0.6% |
| 2013 | 364,633 | −2.4% |
| 2014 | 351,350 | −3.6% |
| 2015 | 344,843 | −1.9% |
| 2016 | 343,752 | −0.3% |
| 2017 | 356,812 | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 380,503 | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 424,104 | +11.5% |
| 2020 | 490,877 | +15.7% |
| 2021 | 532,266 | +8.4% |
| 2022 | 564,227 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 715,655 | +26.8% |
| 2024 | 856,616 | +19.7% |
| 2025 | 978,016 | +14.2% |
| Source: National Statistics Institute (Spain)[5] | ||
Though Colombians used to migrate in Spain in small numbers during the late decades of the 20th century, a large wave of Colombian migration to Spain began to emerge around in 2000, concurrently with the economic boom in Spain and the growth of Latin American immigration in the country. The first wave of migration during the 2000s resulted in more than 300,000 people immigrating, with women often working in the domestic help sector, and men in construction.[6]
In 2015, there were 145,490 Colombian nationals in Spain and 203,675 Colombian-born naturalized Spanish citizens. The total Colombian-born population in Spain for that year was 356,475 people. The overall Colombian population decreased significantly due to emigration as the result of Spain's protracted 2008-2016 economic crisis, increasing again after 2016 and reaching almost a million in 2025. In the 2020s, Spain has established itself as the main immigration destination for Colombians who move abroad.[7] In 2015, visa requirements for Colombians to enter the Schengen area were lifted, further facilitating migration to the European country.
In the 2020s, many Colombians are immigrating to Spain for studies or better work opportunities.[6] Colombians have the largest number of approved study visas to Spain in the recent years. Many Colombian migrants have university education as well.[6]
In the late 2010s and during the 2020s, a new, large wave of Colombians has arrived to Spain. One of the push factors for the sustained immigration of Colombians to Spain is the internal conflict in Colombia.[8] Every year, thousands of Colombians move to Spain's regional capitals, including more than 7,000 in the city of Valencia.[9]
Also, thousands of children in Spain have been born from Colombian-born mothers. In 2009, 6,258 children were born by Colombian-born mothers, a number that declined to 4,445 in 2016. After 2016, the number of births from Colombian-born mothers in Spain increased gradually, reaching 12,106 births in 2024.[10] The large increase since 2016, despite the decline of the number of births in Spain, is concurrent with the large growth of the Colombian diaspora in Spain since 2016.
Economic situation
Many Colombians in Spain work as carers for elderly and in other low paying jobs. There are many people who live in precarious situation.[11] As many people have to leave Colombia for Spain, for various reasons, including the Colombian conflict, many are settling in the country with undocumented status, resulting in lower wages, working in the informal sector, and higher exploitation from employers.[12]
In 2026, when Spain began to implement a major regularisation program for migrants, it became known that Colombians, together with Hondurans and Peruvians are among the nationalities with the highest amount of undocumented migrants living in Spain.[13] According to estimates, 290,000 Colombians lived in Spain in an undocumented status, the highest number among all the other countries.[14]
