| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 260,000 (by citizenship)[1] c. 143,000 (by birth)[2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands | |
| Languages | |
| Spanish · Italian and Italian dialects | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Italians, Italian Belgians, Italian Britons, Italian Finns, Italian French, Italian Germans, Italian Romanians, Italian Swedes, Italian Swiss, Corfiot Italians, Genoese in Gibraltar, Italians of Crimea, Italians of Odesa |
Italians in Spain are one the largest communities of immigrant groups in Spain, with 228,283 Italian citizens in the country;[1] conversely, 135,020 residents in Spain were born in Italy.[3]
From the 18th century, many Italians settled in Spain and in the Spanish Empire to work in the administration of the Bourbon dynasty.[4] The Italian Giulio Alberoni was appointed as minister of foreign affairs in 1715.[5]
In the 19th century, after the departure of Queen Isabella II, the parliament chose the Italian prince Amedeo of Savoy to reign in Spain and did so (as Amedeo I) between 1871 and 1873.
Nowadays Italians in Spain are one of the largest communities of immigrant groups in Spain, with 257,256 Italian citizens in the country;[1] conversely, 142,401 residents in Spain were born in Italy.[2] part of the Italian citizens in Spain are not native from Italy but emigrated from countries like Argentina or Uruguay.[6][7]
The immigration rate of Italian nationals increased in the second part of the 2010s, and, in 2018, Italians trumped Chinese nationals as the third biggest foreign nationality in the Spanish workforce.[8] Most of the Italians citizens dwell in Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.[8]
Over 70% of Italian citizens residing in Spain are retirees living in the Canary Islands, Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol.[9]
| Vertical bar chart of foreign population of Italian nationality in Spain between 2002 and 2021 |
 |
| Population (2002-2021) Foreign population in Spain of Italian nationality according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.[1]
|
