More than 237,000 Moroccans have obtained Spanish nationality since 2018
The Moroccan diaspora has established itself as the largest in Spain, reflecting the good relations that have historically characterised the migratory relations between the two countries.
According to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, more than 237,000 Moroccans obtained Spanish nationality between 2018 and 2023; however, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) puts the figure at more than 246,000.
These figures fit in perfectly with the bilateral relations between Rabat and the current government of Pedro Sánchez, given that, in the previous period between 2012 and 2017, the influx of naturalised Moroccans barely exceeded 130,000 citizens.
Moroccan diaspora
According to data from the INE, the Moroccan citizens are the largest national group among those who obtained Spanish nationality in 2023, with 54,027 cases. Of the total number of people granted Spanish citizenship, 53% were men with an average age of 19, a large proportion of whom obtained the right to nationality on reaching the age of majority.
Currently, the Moroccan community is the only foreign diaspora in Spain that exceeds the one million inhabitant mark, with an average age of 34. This fact, together with the arrival of foreigners from other countries, has meant that a record population figure has been reached in Spain: more than 49 million people as of 1 January 2025.
‘The population born abroad who live in Spain totals more than 9.38 million, of which some 2.6 million have acquired Spanish nationality in recent years’, according to the INE
In 2023, Moroccans were the largest group in this total, accounting for 22.5% of all naturalisations, followed by Venezuelans (12.6%) and Colombians (7.8%).
Nationalisation process
Bureaucratic barriers to granting nationality have increased due to the global migration crisis and the increase in the number of applicants.
In Spain, the process of obtaining nationality or citizenship requires the fulfilment of several requirements: demonstrating good behaviour or civic behaviour; having no criminal record; showing signs of integration into society; and passing basic Spanish language exams administered by the Cervantes Institute.
Although waiting times are reducing, in general, it takes around three years to obtain nationality, although this time can vary depending on the nationality and the circumstances of the applicants.
As for the ways of acquiring Spanish nationality, in 2023, 212,779 cases were by residence and 26,844 by option. The latter modality occurred mainly in those under 20 years of age (95.7% of the total acquisitions by option were of those under 20 years of age).
To facilitate and speed up the processes, the Spanish government has proposed a new regularisation programme that could affect around 700,000 immigrants who arrived in Spain before the end of 2023.
If approved, this initiative would represent the largest regulatory effort in the history of Spain, after those approved by former prime ministers José María Aznar and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, with 525,000 and 576,000, respectively.
Distribution by Autonomous Community
Spain's population problem is becoming increasingly serious due to the fact that the birth rate, which stands at 1.16, is well below the replacement rate, which should be 2.1 children per mother. For this reason, the arrival and naturalisation of foreign populations is, at the same time, more important in Spain and in Europe, since the birth rate problem is also a problem that extends far beyond our borders.
The more than 1.1 million Moroccan residents in Spain outnumber the total populations of entire provinces such as Vizcaya or La Coruña, or autonomous communities such as the Principality of Asturias.
By autonomous community, as of 1 January 2024 the Moroccan population is distributed as follows: Catalonia, 250,730; Andalusia, 171, 698; Region of Murcia, 98,581; Valencian Community, 91,375; Community of Madrid, 87,609; Castile-La Mancha, 42,477; Balearic Islands, 31,095; Basque Country, 28,662; Castile and León, 25,719; Aragon, 23, 480; Canary Islands, 19,474; Navarre, 17,536; Melilla, 11,702; Galicia, 9,399; La Rioja, 9,332; Extremadura, 7,666; Ceuta, 4,554; Asturias, 3,249; and Cantabria, 2,332.
Moroccan immigrants are the most numerous in all the autonomous communities except the Canary Islands, Madrid, Cantabria and Asturias, where Venezuelans top the list of resident foreigners.