Living in Spain: Key facts & stats for your 2026 move

imgPost

Are you one of many people around the world thinking of moving to Spain in 2026? As one of the leading English language teacher training schools in the country, at TEFL Iberia, we help people realise their dream of moving to Spain every year.

Here are the important statistics and facts about life in Spain to inspire your move in 2026.

Money, health and well-being

Geography and population

  • Spain’s population is 49 million. The majority of people live in towns and cities. 
  • Madrid and Barcelona are the most populated cities, followed by Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza and Malaga. 
  • Spain is the second largest country in the EU in terms of land area. 
  • The country is divided into 17 autonomous regions. These include the Community of Madrid, Catalonia, Galicia, Cantabria and Andalusia.
  • To live in Spain, you need an identity card known as a NIE (for EU residents) or TIE for (non-EU residents).  
  • A visa is required for those coming from outside the EU to study or work in Spain. The easiest type to get is a student visa

Society, politics and history

  • In an increasingly right-leaning continent, Spain is somewhat of an outlier with its socialist-led government. The current Spanish Prime Minister is Pedro Sánchez. He is the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE).
  • There are four official languages in Spain. They are Spanish, Catalan, Galician and Basque. Interestingly, Basque is what’s known as a language isolate, meaning it has no connection to any other language in the world.
  • Civilisations have settled in Spain since ancient times. The Phoenicians arrived 10,000 years ago, the Romans over 2,000 years ago, the Moors 1,300 years ago and the country became Christian following the Reconquista in the 15th Century.

Technology and business

  • Spain has one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in Europe.
  • An estimated 37% of Spain’s entrepreneurial population is female. And women entrepreneurs are growing at more than twice the rate of male entrepreneurs. 
  • Three Spanish business schools are ranked inside the top 25 in the world. They are IE Business School in Segovia (11), IESE Business School in Barcelona (15) and Esade Business School in Barcelona (21).
  • Spain is the fourth highest country in the world for growth potential for renewable energy over the next five years.

Culture and tourism

Food

Ready To Start Your Overseas Adventure?

Let's Go