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The purpose of the Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics is to provide, in each autonomous community, in each province and in each municipality, a quantitative measurement of the:
- External migrations: these are migratory flows from Spain abroad
- Internal migrations: these are migratory flows that occur in Spain. Depending on the geographical area of origin and destination of the movement, be it an autonomous community, a province, or a municipality, we will talk about inter-autonomous, inter-provincial or inter-municipal migration.
The migration series will be disaggregated by sex, age, year of birth, country of nationality, country of birth and origin and destination of migration, as well as year and quarter of movement.
For the first time in 2025, information is included on the educational level, relationship with economic activity, and occupation of the people involved in international migration flows. Since these data depend on the publication schedule of the Annual Population Census, these variables are incorporated into outward international migrations for 2023 and inward international migrations for 2022. In the case of outward international migrations for 2024, the year of arrival in Spain is also included, if the individuals had immigrated previously. The information for all these variables is published retrospectively starting from 2021.
Additionally, beginning in 2025, information is also provided with a level of geographic detail below the municipal level for some of Spain’s main cities—from international migration movements to changes of residence between different areas within the same municipality—presented both in tables and in an interactive infographic.
Lists are used from the autonomous communities, provinces, municipalities and countries of nationality and birth, in accordance with the INE's standards.
Migratory movements that affect the population residing in Spain.
Migration.
Set of migratory movements (changes of habitual residence) that occurred during the reference period from Spain abroad or vice versa, which constitute external migration, and between geographical areas of Spain (municipalities, provinces or autonomous communities), which constitute internal migration.
Additionally, from 2025 onward, changes of residence between sub-municipal areas within the main cities are included, as well as data on previous migrations for those sub-municipal areas.
The statistics cover the whole of the national territory, and are disseminated for the national total, for each of the autonomous communities and cities, provinces, municipalities and islands. Sub-City Districts of the main cities are also included starting in 2025.
Annually since 2021.
2021
- Number of immigrations of people residing abroad.
- Number of emigrations abroad by residents in Spain.
- Number of internal migrations (between municipalities, between provinces and between autonomous communities) of residents in Spain.
- Number of changes of residence between SubCity Districts of the main cities.
Data referring to the period: Annual A: 2023
The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the Statistical Law No. 12/1989 "Public Statistical Function" of May 9, 1989, and Law No. 4/1990 of June 29 on “National Budget of State for the year 1990" amended by Law No. 13/1996 "Fiscal, administrative and social measures" of December 30, 1996, makes compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan. The National Statistical Plan 2009-2012 was approved by the Royal Decree 1663/2008. It contains the statistics that must be developed in the four year period by the State General Administration's services or any other entity dependent on it. All statistics included in the National Statistics Plan are statistics for state purposes and are obligatory. The National Statistics Plan 2025-2028, approved by Royal Decree 1225/2024, of 3 December, is the Plan currently implemented. This statistical operation has governmental purposes, and it is included in the National Statistics Plan 2025-2028. (Statistics of the State Administration).
Regulation 862/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community Statistics on Migration and International Protection.
The Spanish version of this European Union regulation is accessible at: www.ine.es/normativa/leyes/UE/minine.htm#30277
The results of the Migrations and Changes of Residence Statistics are transmitted internationally as official figures of migrations from Spain for all purposes.
The exchange of data between the INE and the other statistical services of the State (ministerial departments, autonomous bodies and public entities of the State Administration), as well as between these and the statistical services of the Autonomous Communities for the development of the statistics that have been entrusted to them, are regulated in the LFEP. The LFEP also establishes the statistical coordination mechanisms between administrations, as well as the conclusion of collaboration agreements when deemed appropriate.
The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that the INE cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society
No additional confidentiality measures have been adopted to those already indicated as usual in all operations of the INE.
The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.
The calendar is disseminated on the INEs Internet website (Publications Calendar)
The data are released simultaneously according to the advance release calendar to all interested parties by issuing the press release. At the same time, the data are posted on the INE's Internet website (www.ine.es/en) almost immediately after the press release is issued. Also some predefined tailor-made requests are sent to registered users. Some users could receive partial information under embargo as it is publicly described in the European Statistics Code of Practice
Annual
The results of the statistical operations are normally disseminated by using press releases that can be accessed via both the corresponding menu and the Press Releases Section in the web
No specific publications are made. All the information related to the Statistics on Migrations and Changes of Residence is published on the INE website in the section Demography and population / Demographic phenomena
INEbase is the system the INE uses to store statistical information on the Internet. It contains all the information the INE produces in electronic formats. The primary organisation of the information follows the theme-based classification of the Inventory of Statistical Operations of the State General Administration . The basic unit of INEbase is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities that lead to obtaining statistical results on a determined sector or subject based on the individually collected data. Also included in the scope of this definition are synthesis preparation.
The tables with the aggregated results are available at:
The Statistics on Migrations and Changes of Residence will have microdata files; however, they will not be available at the time of first publication, but some time later.
The Statistics on Migrations and Changes of Residence has published microdata files that can be obtained at https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177098&menu=resultados&idp=1254735573002#_tabs-1254736195836
This operation makes it possible to respond to requests for customized information that are not covered in its results tables, subject in all cases to a feasibility study by the INE.
The request is made via the User Assistance Service:
https://www.ine.es/prodyser/informacion
The methodology of the operation can be accessed at:
Fields 10.6 to 17.2 of this document are considered the user-oriented quality report for this operation.
Quality assurance framework for the INE statistics is based on the ESSCoP, the European Statistics Code of Practice made by EUROSTAT. The ESSCoP is made up of 16 principles, gathered in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.
The Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics are prepared on the basis of official administrative data from:
Therefore, the quality of their results depends on the quality of their sources.
In any case, their results are consistent, by construction, with those of the annual population censuses. There is also full consistency between all territorial levels.
The consistency of the data with those provided by the annual population censuses is guaranteed, as well as with the figures of births and deaths since their launch in 2012.
The quality depends to a large extent on the quality of the Municipal Register and, interchangeably, on all those official administrative sources that are used to construct the population census.
As the Municipal Register is an official administrative register, all demographic concepts (population, migrations) undergo a process that is more administrative than demographic, but this is the best approximation that can be made.
These data comprise the official migration data of Spain.
Among the users one can highlight:
Each of these users has different needs depending on the use and utility of the information they need.
The INE has carried out general user satisfaction surveys in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 and it plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose of these surveys is to find out what users think about the quality of the information of the INE statistics and the extent to which their needs of information are covered. In addition, additional surveys are carried out in order to acknowledge better other fields such as dissemination of the information, quality of some publications...
On the INE website, in its section Methods and Projects / Quality and Code of Practice / INE quality management / User surveys are available surveys conducted to date.(Click next link)
This operation provides all the information required by the Regulation 862/2007 of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe on Migrations and International Protection Statistics in relation to figures on migrations between Spain and the rest of the world.
The rate of mandatory results available is therefore 100% (R1=100%).
No measurements are available of the accuracy of the results of this operation.
The main source of error stems from the lack of records, in the Municipal Register, of emigrations abroad. This shortcoming is offset by the expiry processes for foreigners implemented by the Municipal Register in recent years, although they provide the information with a certain time lag.
As the Statistics on Migrations and Changes of Residence are an operation based on official administrative sources, there are no sampling errors. Non-sampling errors can come from both the sources and the processing of the information itself in this operation. Direct measurement of accuracy is not considered possible in this case.
Not applicable to this statistical operation, as it is a statistic based on official administrative sources and other statistics that have already been prepared, so it is not a sample-based survey.
Given that it is an operation based on official administrative data (see section 18.1), the non-sampling errors of this statistical operation are mainly due to those found in the Municipal Register, which has already been previously filtered. Despite that, there are some non-sampling errors inherent in its nature:
A5 (country of origin) = 30%
A5 (destination country) = 80%
A5 (rest of variables)= 0%
From the reference year 2023 and retrospectively from the year 2021, the country of origin or destination in international migrations is assigned when it is not completed or is invalid. This imputation is carried out based on the distribution of these countries in cases that are properly completed, taking into account the country of birth, nationality, province, age group, and gender of the migration movement.
These results are disseminated annually, definitively, 12 months after their reference date (TP2 = 12 months).
This operation is disseminated within the period established in the INE's structural statistics calendar (TP3=0; it is published without delay).
The results are completely consistent across territories, at all levels of disaggregation. In addition, they are calculated based on the definitions set out in Regulation 862/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Community statistics on migration and international protection and sponsored, in turn, by the United Nations, which is conducive to their international comparability.
Data are provided from 2021 according to a homogeneous methodology and are, therefore, fully comparable in time from that year.
The annual series of results therefore consists of 4 comparable elements, i.e. CC2 = 4.
The Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics (EMCR) are compiled following the concepts and definitions established by Eurostat in Regulation 862/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on Migration and International Protection Statistics, which is conducive to their international comparability.
These results are consistent with annual population censuses, and explain the population change along with births and deaths from the Vital Statistics.
Until 2021, there were two sources related to migrations, the Migration Statistics and the Residential Variation Statistics.
The Residential Variation Statistics, also prepared by the INE, consisted of an exploitation of the census changes registered in the Municipal Register of Inhabitants. Although it was the only source of data that addressed the concept of migrations until 2007, since 2008 it has coexisted with the Migration Statistics, which carried out a statistical treatment of these variations in the census to adapt to the concepts imposed by the Regulation, hence the differences between the two.
However, since 2021, with the implementation of the annual population censuses, it has been necessary to change the calculation method to consistently explain the population change given by these censuses. It was considered useful to capture this change in a new statistic, the EMCR [Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics].
The data are fully consistent both inter-territorially and demographically.
These statistics are prepared on the basis of official administrative sources. It does not require for this purpose the collaboration of reporting units and does not generate data collection costs.
The estimate of the budgetary resources necessary to finance this statistic provided for in the 2025 Annual Programme of the National Statistical Plan 2025-2028 is 410.48 thousand euros.
The INE of Spain has a policy which regulates the basic aspects of statistical data revision, seeking to ensure process transparency and product quality. This policy is laid out in the document approved by the INE board of directors on 13 March of 2015, which is available on the INE website, in the section "Methods and projects/Quality and Code of Practice/INE’s Quality management/INE’s Revision policy" (link).
This general policy sets the criteria that the different type of revisions should follow: routine revision- it is the case of statistics whose production process includes regular revisions-; more extensive revision- when methodological or basic reference source changes take place-; and exceptional revision- for instance, when an error appears in a published statistic-.
Published data are definitive and are not subject to revision.
The INE has a Policy that regulates the basic aspects of the revision of statistical data, guaranteeing the transparency of the processes and the quality of the products. This policy is described in the document approved by the Board of Directors at the meeting held on 13 March 2015. The document is available in the section of Methods and Projects/Quality and Code of Best Practices/INE Quality Management/Revision policy of the National Institute of Statistics"(link).
This general policy sets out the criteria to be followed for different types of revisions: routine - in cases of statistics which are regularly revised by their nature - major revisions, due to methodological changes or changes in baseline sources of statistics, and extraordinary revisions (for example, those due to an error in published statistics).
The data published are final and are not subject to revision.
The Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics are prepared on the basis of official administrative sources:
The Municipal Register is the official administrative register that records all the residents in the municipality. Everyone who lives in Spain must register in the Municipal Register in which he or she habitually resides. Those who live in several municipalities may only register in the one where they live for the longest period of the year.
Municipal councils are responsible for developing, updating, reviewing and safekeeping, and they must carry out the necessary actions and operations so that the data in their registers is consistent with reality.
Municipal councils manage the registers in a computerised manner and in cases in which they lack the resources to do so, it is carried out by the Provincial Councils.
With the municipal registers resulting from the renewal of the register referred on 01/05/1996 and the monthly variations that have occurred since then, the INE has generated a database that is known as the Continuous Register.
Annual
The Migration and Change of Residence Statistics are sets of statistics based on official administrative data, and each of them is collected in its own way:
Multiple analyses are carried out of the evolution of the migration figures and their consistency with the data from the various demographic statistics.
The official administrative sources on which this is based are previously validated.
The starting point to obtain the reference data for a given year from the Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics are the population censuses at the beginning and end of said year. The first will be the census on 1 January of the reference year, and the one at the end of the period will correspond to the census on 1 January of the following year.
With the two censuses available, we compare which persons were in one and not in the other, or are present in both. Those who were in the second census and not the first, constitute the additions to the population (which can be foreign immigrations or births), and conversely we obtain the ones that exit the population (foreign emigrations and deaths).
Once it has been determined which people have entered or left the town or city, or remain in it, one refers to the centralised database of the Municipal Register to recover their registry history, which will allow their migration history to be reconstructed.
No seasonal adjustment, breakdown, time series of similar methods are used.