Spain has been witnessing since 2022 a silent but profound shift in its migration map, a phenomenon that continues to grow exponentially, as is happening across much of Europe. Thousands of Colombians have chosen the Iberian country as a destination to settle permanently, drawn by the shared language, job opportunities, and a social network that has been consolidating rapidly.
The result is a community that already exceeds 1 million people and is on track to become, as early as this year, the largest foreign resident population in Spain, overtaking Moroccans, who have historically led this ranking.
Migrants’ stories are diverse, but they converge around the desire for a better life, the initial difficulties of integration, and the longing for a shared past they left behind, and which, with few exceptions, those interviewed by Colombia One hope to recover in the short term.
The increase in the Colombian population has visible effects on the economy. Their contribution to the labor market helps fill vacancies in strained sectors and supports the social security contribution system. Many hold jobs that would otherwise go unfilled, helping to maintain the pace of activity in key areas.
Consumption is also being boosted. By settling permanently, new residents create demand for housing, transportation, education, and services. This spending energizes local economies and generates indirect employment. In cities with a strong Colombian presence, a diversification of commercial and cultural offerings can be observed, with an impact that extends beyond the community itself.
Colombians set to become Spain’s largest migrant group in 2026
The arrival of Colombians in Spain is not a new phenomenon, but since 2022, it has reached an unprecedented intensity and continues to grow year after year. Alongside the economic recovery after the pandemic, push factors in Colombia have emerged, such as insecurity, political uncertainty, and a lack of job prospects for broad segments of the population.
In this context, Spain emerged as a culturally close destination with sustained demand for labor in key sectors, especially in light of the difficulties migrants face in the United States following Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the tightening of immigration laws in that country.
Registration and residence permit figures in Spain, meanwhile, reflect a clear upward trend. Each year, tens of thousands of new Colombian residents are added, many of them young people of working age. Most arrive with the intention of staying, reuniting their families, and building a life project in the medium and long term, which sets this flow apart from more short-term migratory movements of the past.
In this regard, official data specify that 74% of migrants who arrive in Spain do so for economic reasons, although 60% also say they are fleeing violence or insecurity in their countries of origin. Beyond the language issue, the European country has become a more attractive place due to the ease of obtaining residency, as well as a relatively open labor market compared with other European countries.
From informal work in Colombia to longed-for stability
For many newcomers, labor market integration begins in demanding and low-visibility jobs. This is the case of Andres Mejia, a 29-year-old man from Cali who landed in Barcelona in late 2022 with a temporary contract in construction. He started as a laborer on a housing rehabilitation project on the outskirts of the city, with long hours and physically demanding tasks.
Two years later, Andres has a permanent contract and training as a second-level skilled worker. His company values the prior experience he brought from Colombia and his willingness to adapt, which allowed him to stabilize his employment situation in record time. With a steady salary, he shares an apartment with other compatriots and is already planning to bring over his partner, whom he has not seen since he left Colombia.
His story is similar to that of thousands of Colombians who sustain sectors such as construction, logistics, or urban services, where labor shortages are chronic.
“Integration was difficult at first, but the large Colombian community I found in Barcelona made things easier for me. Within a few weeks, I already had a place to live, all thanks to some friends from Medellin I met at work,” says Andres, who notes that commuting by train the 20 kilometers between his apartment and his workplace is something he unfortunately could not do in his city.
The speed with which the Colombian community has grown is explained in part — precisely — by the strength of its networks. Family members, friends, and acquaintances provide information on jobs, housing, and administrative procedures. This chain reduces the uncertainty of the journey and accelerates initial integration, as Andres described.
In neighborhoods of large cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, or Valencia, meeting spaces have taken shape where the community recognizes itself and supports one another. Cultural associations, religious groups, and informal networks play a key role for those who arrive without clear institutional backing. Unlike other groups, command of the language removes a decisive barrier and favors faster integration into the labor market.
Entrepreneurship as a way to improve working conditions
Not all Colombians who arrive in Spain enter the workforce as wage earners. A growing number are opting for self-employment and small businesses, especially in the food sector. In Barcelona, Laura Gonzalez, 42, opened a Latin products shop a year ago in the Eixample neighborhood.
Laura arrived in 2021 as a tourist and decided to stay after identifying a growing demand for Colombian and Latin American foods. Today her business sells arepas, coffee, sweets, and imported products that attract both fellow Colombians and Spanish customers. The shop has become a meeting point and a source of employment for two other Colombians. For her, entrepreneurship was the way to secure her stay and gain economic autonomy.
“The work is hard, especially because of the large number of hours I spend running the shop. On the other hand, I am my own boss, and I treat myself very well,” she says with a laugh, although she also clarifies that she went through difficult moments, especially when trying to raise the initial amount needed to invest in renting the premises and covering supplies for the first few months.
“Although we have a support network among ourselves, we don’t operate like the Moroccan community, who set up several businesses through cooperative arrangements among family members or friends that make that task much easier,” she points out.
For this Bogota native — a single mother and head of household with two underage children — work-life balance was even more complicated. “I’m at the shop almost all day, and school ends at 5 p.m. However, extracurricular activities and the social worker in my neighborhood helped me find a way to run the business while also making sure my children were cared for,” she explains.
A shift in the migration ranking
That Colombians are on the verge of becoming the largest foreign community residing in Spain marks a turning point. For decades, Moroccans have topped this ranking, with a long-established presence spread across the entire country. The overtaking does not imply a replacement, but rather an expansion of the migration mosaic.
The foreign-born population in Spain is now approaching 10 million people. During the months of July, August, and September 2025, more than 32,000 Colombians arrived in Spain, compared with 23,000 Moroccans or 20,400 Venezuelans. However, when looking at the total number of foreign nationals living in Spain, Moroccans still dominate, although the gap is narrowing substantially.
With historical data, the change becomes clearer: While at the beginning of 2022 there were just over 500,000 citizens of Colombian origin in Spain, compared to 1 million Moroccans, the latest official data as of September 2025 reveal that Colombians have reached 1 million — that is, they have almost doubled since 2022 — while Moroccans account for 1.16 million.
This change reflects a transformation in mobility patterns toward Spain, increasingly linked to Latin America. Countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru are gaining weight compared with other traditional origins. Cultural and linguistic affinity plays a central role, as do regularization policies and bilateral agreements.
The rapid growth of the Colombian community also poses challenges. Access to housing is one of the main issues. Many newcomers face high rents and precarious conditions, especially in large cities. Concentration in certain neighborhoods can generate tensions if it is not accompanied by inclusive housing policies.
The challenges of immigration in Spain
The truth is that today the country’s main challenge is precisely the housing sector, with a severe crisis in purchase and rental prices, as well as a phenomenon of illegal occupation of homes that generates considerable backlash against migration and that, so far, politicians on both sides of the ideological spectrum have been unable to solve.
The recognition of degrees and qualifications remains another pending issue. Engineers, technicians, and professionals trained in Colombia are often forced to accept jobs below their level, with the resulting loss of talent. Resolving this mismatch would allow for more efficient integration and greater benefits for the economy as a whole.
According to Social Security data, while in 2022 Colombians (only those who retain their nationality) who were registered did not reach 100,000, by early 2025 they were already nearing 300,000 — a drastic increase in relative terms that no other nationality analyzed in the Spanish Social Security database has experienced.
However, in this area, Colombians still account for a smaller number of registered workers than Moroccans and Romanians, although it should be noted that this is partly due to the rapid naturalization of Colombians compared with the other two nationalities.
In this regard, it is worth recalling that a citizen of Latin American origin can begin the naturalization process after two years of legal residence in Spain, while for a Moroccan, this period rises to 10 years. Once naturalized, Colombians therefore stop appearing on the lists of foreign affiliates and instead appear on those of Spaniards.
A community in consolidation
Beyond the figures, the Colombian community is leaving a visible social and cultural imprint. Festivities, gastronomy, and artistic expressions are becoming integrated into the daily life of Spanish cities. Presence in schools and universities reinforces a second generation that grows up between two identities, with a natural ability to move between both.
The trend suggests that growth will continue, although at a more moderate pace. What is already evident is that Colombians have gone from being a relevant group to becoming a central player in the migrant Spain of the 21st century. Their consolidation redefines the profile of the foreign population and poses a new scenario for integration, employment, and social cohesion policies.
With a growing anti-immigration wave in Europe, in parallel with what is happening in the United States, the challenge for governments and citizens is to find ways to integrate these important groups without administrative inaction, giving rise to the growth of clearly anti-immigration groups, a growing reality across Europe.
Although the people this outlet spoke with to carry out this story do not report significant moments of rejection, they do confirm that “especially on the housing issue” there is growing resistance to renting apartments to the foreign population — something in which the clumsiness of current legislation, which leaves property owners unprotected, does not help, even if the objective is the opposite.