ALICANTE province is closing in on half a million foreign residents, with foreigners now making up almost a quarter of its population and some towns in the region now being minority Spanish.
A total of 497,387 foreign nationals were registered across the province as of January 1, 2025, according to Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).
That works out to 24.5% of the province’s population, the highest share of any province in Spain. Almeria (23.2%) and Girona (21.9%) come next.
The foreign population grew by 32,786 people in a single year. Only Madrid and Barcelona have higher numbers of foreign residents than Alicante.
Brits remain the largest foreign community in the province with 68,904 registered residents. However, their numbers fell by 1,882 over the year, the third consecutive annual drop.
Colombians are closing the gap, however with 51,224 residents, after adding 8,227 in a year.
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Moroccans follow with 49,749, then Ukrainians, Romanians and Algerians close behind.
These six nationalities together account for just over half (50.3%) of all foreign residents in the province.
Europeans still make up the largest bloc at 55.8%, split almost evenly between EU citizens (137,369) and non-EU Europeans (139,952), a group that includes the British.
Latin Americans are the fastest-growing group and now make up 22.9% of the total. Africans account for 16.3% and Asians for 4.9%.
The foreign population is heavily concentrated along the coast. Five municipalities account for more than 44% of the total.
Alicante city has the most foreign residents in absolute terms, with 76,685 (21% of its population).
Torrevieja follows with 49,699, where foreigners make up 49.5% of the population, just half a point short of a majority. Elche, Orihuela and Benidorm complete the top five.
Rojales has the highest proportion of any town in the province. There, 11,914 of its 17,488 residents, or 68.1%, are foreign nationals.
The next highest proportions are in San Fulgencio (66.8%), Daya Vieja (63.3%), Benitachell (61.5%), Lliber (61.4%), Algorfa (59.2%), Alcalali (57.2%), San Miguel de Salinas (57.1%), Teulada (56.4%) and Hondon de los Frailes (55%).
Murla, Calpe, Benijofar, Finestrat (50.5%) and L’Alfas del Pi (50.4%) are also above 50%, which brings the number of majority-foreign municipalities in the province to 15.
Every one of the 15 in the Valencian Community with a foreign majority is in Alicante province.
Among towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants, Calpe has the highest share, with foreign residents making up 54.1% of the population. Javea is not far behind at 47.5%.
The report challenges the idea that the province’s foreign population is mostly made up of retired northern Europeans.
The largest age group is 40 to 44, with 42,249 people, followed by 35 to 39. More than two-thirds (68.2%) are of working age. Under-15s make up 12.7%, and those aged 65 and over account for 19.1%.
Across the Valencian Community, the number of foreign residents has passed one million for the first time and now stands at 1,055,925, or 19.5% of the population.
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