The 50% of those naturalized in Catalonia are from Morocco
The 13% are from Pakistan and the other South American countries. In ten years, 390,000 people have been naturalised in Catalonia.
In 2023, a total of 30,846 people obtained Spanish nationality in Catalonia. This represents a drop compared with the 48,901 naturalised in 2022, but with a notable shift in the origin of the new Spaniards: The 50% are of Moroccan origin.
Since then, its presence has continued to grow until reaching this record in 2023. If we add up the figures from 2013, we have a total of 114,729 Moroccans with Spanish passports and the right to vote.
According to 2023 data, 15,462 Moroccans gained nationality, the highest percentage ever recorded. Just a decade ago, In 2013, this group represented 191% of naturalised citizens..
Pakistanis are also growing
The other large community that has experienced a sharp rise in naturalisations is the Pakistani community. Last year, 3,877 Pakistanis obtained nationality, 131% of the total, whereas ten years ago they only accounted for 2%. This trend had already been apparent in recent years, but 2023 marked a new high.
Changing profile of the new Catalans
This evolution shows a change in the profile of naturalised individuals in Catalonia. Whereas in previous years there was a broader distribution of origins, Moroccans and Pakistanis now account for an ever-increasing share. The two Muslim communities represent 63.1% of naturalised individuals, compared with just 21% in 2013.
The evolution of Moroccan naturalisations could be explained by various factors, such as the consolidation of the second generation of immigrants, the regularisation of long-term residents and their strong presence in various Catalan cities.
Despite the decrease in the total number of naturalisations, 2023 will go down in history as the year in which Moroccans made up half of all new Spaniards in Catalonia.
An electoral force and linguistics
One of the concerns for Catalanism is the electoral strength of naturalised citizens. Upon acquiring nationality they gain the right to vote. It is estimated that only 16.1% vote for independence-oriented options, and only a minority have any interest in speaking Catalan.
Absolute numbers
If we look at the INE itself to see how many people there are, we see a large difference between the communities that top the list. This is due to the presence of more or fewer people from these communities.