When Moroccan Workforce Drives Spain’s GDP Growth

Spain is approaching the 50 million inhabitant mark, driven by record immigration. To offset declining birth rates and urgent labor shortages, the country relies heavily on foreign populations. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Moroccans now form the largest nationality in the country with more than 968,000 residents registered on the territory.

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This figure soars when accounting for naturalizations, with Moroccan-born natives representing the main group of these "new Spaniards." Including individuals holding Spanish nationality, the community of Moroccan origin exceeds 1.1 million people by far. Concretely, there are now more citizens of Moroccan origin in Spain than inhabitants in an entire region like Asturias, which has 1.02 million residents, or than in the province of Granada.

Behind Morocco, Colombia and Venezuela complete the podium of recent arrivals. While a massive regularization is being considered by authorities, the newspaper La Razón recalls that approximately 840,000 migrants currently live in irregular status. This project would grant them legal asylum and work rights, to directly address the needs of the local economy.

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This foreign workforce is indeed the main engine of Iberian activity. Immigration generates more than 80% of demographic growth and currently accounts for four out of ten job creations. According to the Funcas analysis center, immigrants very often perform jobs that "nobody wants," meaning the least productive positions with the lowest wages, while being responsible for half of the GDP increase since 2022.