The Spanish demographic collapse can be summarized in Barcelona: so few babies have been born since the Civil War

Barcelona is a dynamic city, the destination for thousands of foreigners looking for a new life in Europe and a territory that has been seeing its census grow almost uninterrupted for years. Still, that doesn't mean its demographic engine is well-oiled. On the contrary. The latest data published by the City Council show that, after almost a decade of decline, in 2025 its birth rate marked the second lowest level since 1900. Since the beginning of the 20th century there has only been one year in which fewer babies were born in Barcelona: 1939, when the Civil War ended.

In fact, if the Barcelona census remains more or less afloat it is basically thanks to the flow of immigrants.

What has happened? That Barcelona City Council has published its official demographic data as of January 1, 2026 and the general 'photo' they leave is full of chiaroscuros. The city's population remains more or less stable, with 1,729,963 registered, 0.1% less than the previous year.

It is not a bad figure if you take into account that Barcelona has been gaining residents since 2022 and that at the beginning of the century the census barely exceeded 1.5 million. What's more, the Golocal government relates this slight decline of 0.1% to a simple administrative issue. In his opinion they are explained (at least in part) because there are people who were still registered in Barcelona without living there and have now "regularized" their situation. "Barcelona is the administrative and physical gateway to the territory," clarifies the deputy mayor, Jordi Valls.

Perfect, right? Not quite. It is true that the loss of population has been minimal, almost negligible, and that Barcelona has been gaining population practically since the beginning of the century; But that doesn't mean the city's demographic engine is working well. On the contrary. Its vegetative balance (the difference between births and deaths) is in the red. To be more precise, last year Barcelona saw 3,549 more residents die than were born. This data is explained because, although in general the number of deaths was reduced, the number of births decreased even more.

The City Council's statistics also reveal that this imbalance occurs in practically the entire city. "The negative natural balance is spread across all districts with the exception of Ciutat Vella, where for the third consecutive year there are more births than deaths," the City Council clarifies. This is an interesting note because of what it reveals to us about the birth rate in Barcelona.

Are so few children born? Yes. The Barcelona statistical office counted 11,012 births last year, a bad figure no matter how you look at it. Not only does it represent a decline of 1.3% compared to 2024. If we broaden the focus we see that this decrease aggravates the negative trend that the municipality has suffered since 2017 and, above all, distances it (even further) from the peaks in birth rates that it registered during the 'baby boom'. For reference, the 11,012 births in 2025 are almost three times lower than those recorded in 1973, when the city saw 31,689 cradle Barcelonans born.

The 2025 figure is in fact the second lowest in the entire historical series of the Barcelona Department of Statistics and Data Dissemination, which dates back to 1900. Since then there has only been one year in which fewer babies were born: 1939. That year 8,992 people came into the world in Barcelona. It is not surprising if we take into account that it was the last of the war and in 1938 the municipality had registered a record number of deaths (almost 28,200). At that time the total registry was also very lower, barely exceeding one million.

How is the census maintained? Thanks to immigration, basically. "During 2025 the natural balance between births and deaths was -3,549 people, but it was offset by a positive migratory balance of +11,383 people," recognizes the City Council, which confirms that the flow of foreigners "continues to be the essential component of the demographic dynamics."

This is not an isolated fact or something temporary. The City Council confirms that the population arriving from other countries has been "the protagonist of demographic growth" in Barcelona so far in the 21st century. Last year, in fact, the number of those registered with foreign nationality rose another slight 0.7%.

Can we go further? That immigration has become the great demographic driver of Barcelona is something that can already be felt in its social structure. The "native population" stopped being the majority in 2019 and today in the city it is easier to meet people born in other places than in a Barcelona hospital. To be more precise, the City Council estimates that as of January 1, the native population represented only 44.6% of the total.

In Barcelona there are 626,924 people registered who were born outside of Spain, the vast majority (53.2%) from America, although there are also many residents born in Pakistan, Morocco, Italy and China. And that among a long list of 181 different nationalities. Almost a third (30%) of those born abroad have already acquired Spanish nationality and today they represent 11% of the registry.

What happens with age? Municipal statistics also allow us to understand how Barcelona's population pyramid evolves. Another interesting indicator, since, although the immigrants who come to the city tend to be young, the average age of the general population has risen to 44.6 years. Nothing surprising if we take into account that the pyramid is clearly widening at the summit.

As of January 1, there were 1,196 people residing in Barcelona who had already blown out the 100 candles, an all-time high. Meanwhile, the number of homes in which children and adolescents live is decreasing, and they do not even represent a quarter. What does increase is the education of the population: 37.4% of those registered over 16 years of age have some university degree or higher vocational training, a percentage that increases to almost 43% when we talk about the foreign population.

Images | Kristina Skoreva (Unsplash) and Barcelona City Council