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Alicante (Alacant): who lives there, by nationality (2025)
Source: INE Annual Population Census, reference 1 January 2025. Municipality in Alicante, Valencian Community. Shares and changes are our calculations from the official figures.
How large is the international community in Alicante (Alacant), and which nationalities actually live there? One official source and one reference date back every figure below, so the figures can be compared with the other towns on this site without mixing methodologies.
Alicante (Alacant) in numbers
| Indicator | 1 Jan 2025 | 1 Jan 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total residents | 365,586 | 358,608 |
| Residents with foreign nationality (our calculation) | 76,685 | 69,614 |
| Foreign-national share (our calculation) | 21.0% | 19.4% |
| British nationals | 1,074 | 1,071 |
| US nationals | 730 | 638 |
Largest foreign nationalities
| Nationality | Residents (1 Jan 2025) | Share of foreign nationals | Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 11,674 | 15.2% | +16.5% |
| Algeria | 11,063 | 14.4% | +15.8% |
| Ukraine | 7,019 | 9.2% | +19.0% |
| Italy | 5,186 | 6.8% | +11.0% |
| Russia | 4,068 | 5.3% | +1.7% |
| Morocco | 3,998 | 5.2% | +4.0% |
| Venezuela | 3,912 | 5.1% | +12.7% |
| Argentina | 3,028 | 3.9% | +8.8% |
How to read these figures
The largest foreign nationality in Alicante (Alacant) is Colombia: 11,674 residents, 15.2% of all foreign nationals. British nationals rank number 12 among foreign nationalities, with 1,074 residents. A generally international place does not automatically have a large British community. Between 1 January 2024 and 1 January 2025 the foreign-national population moved from 69,614 to 76,685 (+10.2%, our calculation). Behind Colombia come Algeria (11,063) and Ukraine (7,019). By foreign-national share, Alicante (Alacant) ranks number 26 of the 30 municipalities on this site (21.0%).
The foreign-national share divides foreign nationals by total residents. Each nationality share in the breakdown uses only foreign nationals as the denominator, not all residents.
Compare 30 municipalities
| Municipality | Region | Total residents | Foreign nationals | Share | Largest foreign nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid | Community of Madrid | 3,477,497 | 655,402 | 18.8% | Venezuela (73,161) |
| Barcelona | Barcelona, Catalonia | 1,713,247 | 437,663 | 25.5% | Italy (50,754) |
| Valencia | Valencia, Valencian Community | 841,558 | 163,356 | 19.4% | Colombia (20,620) |
| Palma de Mallorca | Palma, Balearic Islands | 443,196 | 91,954 | 20.7% | Colombia (13,306) |
| Alicante (Alacant) | Alicante, Valencian Community | 365,586 | 76,685 | 21.0% | Colombia (11,674) |
| Málaga | Málaga, Andalusia | 597,173 | 69,892 | 11.7% | Morocco (10,220) |
| Seville | Seville, Andalusia | 688,714 | 57,894 | 8.4% | Colombia (7,696) |
| Marbella | Málaga, Andalusia | 160,478 | 49,813 | 31.0% | Morocco (4,893) |
| Torrevieja | Alicante, Valencian Community | 100,470 | 49,699 | 49.5% | Ukraine (8,191) |
| Arona | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands | 89,036 | 34,827 | 39.1% | Italy (7,637) |
| Fuengirola | Málaga, Andalusia | 84,857 | 31,808 | 37.5% | Finland (4,518) |
| Orihuela | Alicante, Valencian Community | 84,279 | 30,946 | 36.7% | United Kingdom (8,780) |
| Mijas | Málaga, Andalusia | 94,320 | 30,618 | 32.5% | United Kingdom (7,541) |
| Benidorm | Alicante, Valencian Community | 77,211 | 26,862 | 34.8% | United Kingdom (3,065) |
| Granada | Granada, Andalusia | 235,294 | 24,551 | 10.4% | Morocco (5,093) |
| Adeje | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands | 50,612 | 24,326 | 48.1% | Italy (5,501) |
| Benalmádena | Málaga, Andalusia | 78,787 | 23,035 | 29.2% | United Kingdom (3,306) |
| Estepona | Málaga, Andalusia | 79,593 | 22,778 | 28.6% | United Kingdom (4,084) |
| Calvià | Balearic Islands | 54,082 | 18,292 | 33.8% | United Kingdom (3,907) |
| Jávea (Xàbia) | Alicante, Valencian Community | 30,817 | 14,625 | 47.5% | United Kingdom (4,550) |
| Mazarrón | Murcia, Region of Murcia | 35,642 | 13,229 | 37.1% | United Kingdom (4,347) |
| Rojales | Alicante, Valencian Community | 17,488 | 11,914 | 68.1% | United Kingdom (5,135) |
| Pilar de la Horadada | Alicante, Valencian Community | 24,359 | 9,749 | 40.0% | United Kingdom (2,687) |
| San Miguel de Abona | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands | 24,307 | 9,091 | 37.4% | United Kingdom (2,230) |
| Sitges | Barcelona, Catalonia | 32,690 | 8,979 | 27.5% | United Kingdom (1,105) |
| Torrox | Málaga, Andalusia | 21,795 | 8,554 | 39.2% | Germany (1,959) |
| Tías | Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Canary Islands | 21,671 | 8,288 | 38.2% | United Kingdom (2,143) |
| Teulada | Alicante, Valencian Community | 12,932 | 7,299 | 56.4% | United Kingdom (2,158) |
| Manilva | Málaga, Andalusia | 18,044 | 7,047 | 39.1% | United Kingdom (2,285) |
| San Fulgencio | Alicante, Valencian Community | 9,906 | 6,616 | 66.8% | United Kingdom (3,194) |
| Alhaurín el Grande | Málaga, Andalusia | 27,610 | 6,440 | 23.3% | United Kingdom (2,133) |
| Arboleas | Almería, Andalusia | 4,182 | 2,759 | 66.0% | United Kingdom (2,071) |
| Rota | Cádiz, Andalusia | 29,620 | 1,651 | 5.6% | United States (521) |
What this can and cannot tell you
Nationality is not birthplace, first language, immigration status or a measure of integration. People who took Spanish citizenship no longer count as foreign nationals, so long-settled communities can be understated. The figures cover the whole municipality, not one neighbourhood, and do not show where communities actually meet or whether services work in English.
Use these numbers to narrow a shortlist, then research the specific area you would live in: housing, transport and daily services need separate checks. A large national group is not evidence that a town is cheaper, safer or a better fit for you.
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Source and method
All figures on this page come from one source: the INE Annual Population Census (Censo Anual de Población), municipal table by country of nationality, reference date 1 January 2025, compared with 1 January 2024 from the same series. INE press release with the reference date. Data: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, reused under CC BY 4.0. Shares and year-on-year changes are our calculations from those figures. Checked 30 September 2026. The INE groups smaller nationalities into regional aggregates; only individually listed countries appear in the breakdown.