Foreign population of the Canary Islands falls for the first time in four years
According to new data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), nearly a quarter of all residents in the Canary Islands were born outside Spain. The Archipelago now has 545,225 foreign-born inhabitants, representing 24% of its total population, a figure higher than the national average of 20%.
However, after four and a half years of uninterrupted growth, the foreign population has dropped for the first time since mid-2021. As of 1st January, the Islands registered 2,080 fewer foreign residents, a decrease of 0.6%. While the drop is modest, it is notable because foreign residents have been the main drivers of population growth in recent years.
Between July 2021 and January 2026, the number of foreign residents surged from 287,978 to 345,823 representing a 20% increase of 57,845 people. Over the same period, the Spanish-born population grew by only 2%, roughly 38,000 people.
Together, both groups have pushed the total population of the Canary Islands to a new record high of 2,272,734 residents, representing overall growth of 4.4% since 2021.
Slowest growth in Spain this quarter
The latest Continuous Population Survey shows the Canary Islands were the Spanish region with the smallest population increase in the last quarter of 2025, rising by just 0.02%, far below the national average of 0.16%. The Archipelago added only 501 residents, sustained solely by an increase of 2,581 Spanish nationals.
Compared with January 2025, the Islands have grown by 13,868 inhabitants over the past year.
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