The Latino consumer in Spain 2026: 4.2 million people and €7.3 billion in remittances

Spain is home today to close to 4.2 million people of Latin American origin, more than the rest of the European Union combined, according to the Bank of Spain. It is a market the size of the Valencia region that nevertheless appears in no generalist panel with any clarity: national samples dilute it and multicultural studies treat it as a curiosity, not as an economic segment.

A market that contributes

The purchasing-power argument is no longer a promise. In July 2026 the Social Security system registered 3,512,223 foreign contributors, an all-time high and 15.6% of the total, growing 13.6% year on year against 2.9% for the system as a whole. Roughly one in three foreign contributors is Latin American, and among those under 35 they are already a majority.

Colombia is the most eloquent case: its contributors have multiplied by 3.7 in five years, from 94,265 in July 2021 to 347,467 in July 2026. Venezuela adds 247,209 contributors and Peru 133,002. The extraordinary regularisation scheme added a further 262,475 registrations up to 30 July 2026.

The money that crosses the Atlantic

€12,207 million in remittances left Spain in 2025, according to table 17.6a of the Bank of Spain's Statistical Bulletin: an all-time record that doubles the €6,106 million of 2013. Of that figure, €7,305 million went to the Americas, making Spain the world's second-largest sender of remittances to the region, behind only the United States. Colombia (€2,022m), Ecuador (€986m) and the Dominican Republic (€771m) head corridors in which 7 of the top 10 destinations are Latin American.

Where this consumer works

Latin American affiliation is concentrated in hospitality (20.5%), commerce (13.2%), administrative and auxiliary activities (12.2%) and construction (9.8%), with a growing presence in healthcare, social services and industry. 46.3% of the jobs created in Spain since the labour reform have gone to foreign workers.

What is not being measured

None of these figures answers the questions a brand actually needs: which bank the person sending €200 a month to Cali chooses, which carrier signs up the recent arrival, when a family moves from a shared rental to its first mortgage. That is the space Latinos 360 occupies: samples designed for this community, a proprietary panel and direct work with the institutions that represent it.

Methodology: this report draws on official sources (INE; the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration; and the Bank of Spain), each cited with its date. The full technical sheet accompanies the downloadable version.