A study by the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid reports that 45% of babies born in the Balearics in 2021 had foreign parents. In the great majority of cases, both parents were foreign. The Balearics ranked second among Spain's regions after Catalonia (45.7%). The lowest percentage, 11.4%, was Extremadura.
The coordinator of the university's demographics observatory, Alejandro Macarrón, highlights the degree to which the Balearic percentage has risen. In 1996, seven per cent of children had a foreign mother; by 2021 this was 37%.
In terms of nationality, Morocco heads the list. In 2021, 8.1% of babies had a Moroccan mother and 8.6% a Moroccan father. People of Moroccan origin constitute the largest foreign community in the Balearics. Colombia was second - three per cent of babies with a Colombian mother and three per cent with a Colombian father.
* The figures from this study do vary to a degree from ones reported at the start of 2023.
As to continents, Europe (excluding Spain) was third behind America and Africa. In 2021, 9.8% of babies had a mother from another European country and 8.7% of babies a European father. British, German, Italian and Romanian were the most numerous, but in no instance was the percentage above 1.5%.
The study looked at municipalities with 10,000 or more residents. Sa Pobla had the highest percentage of babies with foreign parents - 50.9%. There were 33.7% of babies with a Moroccan mother and 35% a Moroccan father.