An interesting article appeared in Sur about the number of foreigners in Malaga province obtaining Spanish nationality between 2013 and 2024. Over this period some 1.9 million foreigners obtained Spanish nationality across the country and of that 1.9 million, 56,957 people were living in Malaga province.
There are two main routes to obtaining Spanish nationality – (1) by being born to a Spanish father or mother or by being born in Spain if one of one’s parents was themselves born in Spain, or (2) through residency, namely ten years of continuous legal residency in the country.
Of the 56,957 foreigners living in Malaga province who obtained Spanish nationality, 49,602 (87%) did so on the basis of their term of residence, cf 82% across the country. The largest contingent came from South America (24,360), of which the largest group were Argentinian (4,709), followed by Colombia (4,468). The second biggest area of origin is Africa (19,745), largely made up of Moroccans (16,665).
Among people from European but non-EU countries, numbers are much smaller. The biggest contingent was Ukrainians (1,782), followed by Russians (1,272), while amazingly British nationals who acquired Spanish nationality in Malaga numbered only 241 in the last 10 years!
Read the full article in Sur, here.