Population figures
Total country population
47,473,373
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
423,004
Asylum-seekers:
254,050
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
0
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
8,525
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
0
Country context
Spain is party to the 1951 Geneva Convention and its 1967 Protocol and has signed the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. Spanish Asylum Law of 2009 recognises UNHCR ‘s role as a guarantee in the asylum system. Spain has a national law on the Rights, Freedoms and Social Integration of Foreigners in Spain of 2000. The Ministry of Interior is responsible for border management, the asylum and statelessness procedures, whereas the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations deals with the reception of asylum-seekers and refugees. Regional and local authorities have responsibility over key areas for integration and inclusion such as education, health, justice and social services. Asylum-seekers, refugees and stateless persons have the right to access public services in the same conditions as nationals. However, there are more challenges in the implementation of their access to rights such as employment and housing.
The situation in Ukraine provoked an explosion of solidarity from the whole Spanish civil society, in the first months of the emergency. The arrival of thousands of refugees from Ukraine had an impact on Spain's overstretched reception capacity. Although the habilitated additional emergency facilities and increased the number of places in the reception system, it did not respond to the needs of all refugees, included non-Ukrainian refugees. Access of non-Ukrainian refugees to reception centres continues to be challenging because of the lack of access to the asylum procedure.
...In the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees, UNHCR works with key traditional and non-traditional stakeholders such as the central and regional governments and local authorities, the diplomatic community, UN Agencies present in the country, Bar Associations, civil society organizations, private sector and foundations, media, Universities, NGO, refugee-led organizations . A key strategic partner is España con ACNUR, the national association responsible for raising awareness about the situation of forcibly displaced and stateless persons and the mobilization of resources from private donors and decentralized and local authorities.
At the end of 2022, the refugee population reached almost 271,500, mostly from Ukraine (42%), Venezuela (40%) and Syria (6%). This represents a 120% increase compared to 2021. The population growth can be attributed primarily to the number of refugees arrived from Ukraine, who represented nearly half of the total population. The overwhelming majority were Ukrainian nationals and around 80% were adult women and children. However, the number of individual recognitions increased by a quarter following the rise in asylum applications. This regarded especially Malian refugees due to the concession of subsidiary protection. Also, Afghan population saw a significant increase, standing out for the highest number of refugee status recognition. Lastly, the number of Syrian refugees increased due to the arrival of refugees resettled in Spain mainly from Lebanon.
Regarding stateless persons 1,084 applications were registered in 2022 with a 19% increase compared to 2021, a 218% increase in decisions on 896 applications, with 655 positive decisions and 241 rejected. Therefore, the total number of stateless persons in Spain is 6,842. Main countries of origin are Western Sahara (99%), Algeria and Mauritania.
Show more
