Living alongside people from all over the world is part of everyday life on the Costa Blanca, and new figures show just how international our corner of Spain has become.
Almost half a million people with a foreign nationality now live in Alicante province, the area promoted under the Costa Blanca tourism brand. The figure stood at 497,387 on 1 January 2025, according to ASTI’s Aproximación estadística a la población extranjera en la provincia de Alicante 2026 (Statistical Overview of the Foreign Population in Alicante Province 2026).
That means foreign nationals account for 24.5% of the province’s 2.03 million residents, the highest proportion of any Spanish province.
Alicante province also has Spain’s third-largest foreign population in absolute numbers, behind Madrid and Barcelona.
British residents remain the largest group
UK nationals remain the largest foreign community on the Costa Blanca, with 68,904 residents. They account for 13.9% of all foreign nationals in the province.
However, the British population fell by 1,882 in a year and has now declined for three consecutive years.
Colombia has moved into second place after adding 8,227 residents in a single year, taking its total to 51,224.
Morocco follows with 49,749 residents, ahead of Ukraine with 32,831, Romania with 24,034 and Algeria with 23,662.
Together, these six nationalities account for just over half of the foreign population.
Some Costa Blanca towns pass the 50% mark
The international mix becomes even more noticeable when you look at individual towns.
Alicante city has the largest number of foreign residents, with 76,685. Torrevieja follows with 49,699, while Elche has 35,421, Orihuela 30,946 and Benidorm 26,862.
Smaller Costa Blanca municipalities record some much higher percentages.
In Rojales, foreign nationals make up 68.1% of the population. San Fulgencio is close behind at 66.8%.
Foreign residents also account for more than half the population in Calpe, at 54.1%, Finestrat, at 50.5%, and Alfaz del Pi, at 50.4%.
The Vega Baja has an especially strong international population. The area covered by the report has 154,665 foreign residents, representing 38.6% of its population.
Foreign residents are changing the age balance
The figures also show how migration is affecting the Costa Blanca’s changing population.
Alicante province recorded 13,207 births during 2024, compared with 16,946 deaths. That left 3,739 more deaths than births.
Among foreign nationals, the balance went the other way. There were 4,303 births and 3,065 deaths, giving a positive difference of 1,238.
Births to foreign mothers now account for 32.6% of all births in the province, close to one in three.
International residents at work and school
Foreign nationals also have a growing presence in the workplace.
By the end of 2025, 135,550 foreign nationals in Alicante province were registered with Social Security. That represented 17.8% of the total and an increase of 10,457 in a year.
The proportion is considerably higher in some industries. Foreign nationals account for 54.7% of agricultural workers and 35.3% of people working in domestic service.
The international mix is also clear in local classrooms. During the 2024-2025 academic year, 77,949 foreign pupils attended schools in Alicante province, accounting for 21.5% of all students.
Another 9,460 people gained Spanish nationality through residence during 2025, with Colombia and Morocco accounting for the largest numbers.
For those of us living on the Costa Blanca, hearing several languages during a trip to the shops, school gates or a morning coffee is nothing unusual. These figures put numbers behind that everyday experience, with almost one in four residents across Alicante province now holding a foreign nationality.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Almost 500,000 foreign nationals live in Alicante province, which is promoted as the Costa Blanca.
- They account for 24.5% of the population, the highest proportion of any Spanish province.
- UK nationals remain the largest foreign community, with 68,904 residents.
- Rojales has a foreign population of 68.1%, while San Fulgencio reaches 66.8%.
- More than half of residents are foreign nationals in Calpe, Finestrat and Alfaz del Pi.
- Foreign mothers account for 32.6% of births in the province.
- Foreign nationals represent 17.8% of Social Security registrations.
- Foreign pupils make up 21.5% of students in Alicante province.
