The changing face of the Balearics. A new report states that 30 percent of the Balearic population are foreign, the highest level of non-Spanish residents in Spain. The figure is expected to rise even further once the government completes its plan to offer paperwork to more than 500,000 foreigners who are living illegally in Spain. There are now almost seven million foreigners living in Spain.
As of January 1, 2026, the regions with the highest percentage of foreign-born population are the Balearic Islands (29.27%), Catalonia (26.11%), Madrid (25.70%), and the Valencian Community (25.45%). The regional difference is striking: the percentage in the islands is three times that of Extremadura (6.59%) and more than double that of Asturias (12.55%) or Castile and León (12.87%).
The majority of the foreign population are from North Africa and South and Central America with thousands heading to the Balearics in search of a new life and better working opportunities.
Plans by the Spanish government to legalise the status of 500,000 foreigners, who are living in Spain illegally, has meet some opposition although the unions and employers have welcome the move.
It is estimated that in the Balearics there are an estimated 10,000 foreigners who are living here illegally.