La Seguridad Social comienza 2026 con cerca de 200.000 afiliados extranjeros más que hace un año
13/02/2026
Labour Market
Social Security begins 2026 with about 200,000 foreign affiliates more than a year ago
Topics:
- The number of workers from other countries remains above the three million employed, (3,038,158), after adding 195,129 affiliates in the last 12 months
- Of the total, there are 496,330 self-employed workers, with a special presence in telecommunications and computer programming, where they represent 31% of the total number of self-employed workers in the sector
- In the last month, 23,309 more affiliates from other countries were registered, in seasonally adjusted terms
- Foreign workers make up 14.1% of the total number of contributors to Social Security
- The activities of the General Regime with the greatest presence of foreign workers are Hospitality, Agriculture, Construction and Transport; and with increasing representation in sectors such as Administrative Activities, Real Estate and Telecommunications.
- Elma Saiz: “The year 2026 begins with more than three million Social Security affiliates born in other countries. They are people who work, undertake, contribute and contribute to sustaining key sectors of our economy. In the last year alone, there are almost 200,000 more affiliations, reflecting a reality that is part of the present and future of our country.”
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The Social Security registered in January 3,038,158 foreign affiliates in the original series, after adding 195,129 affiliates in the last 12 months and around 800,000, compared to January 2022, with the labor reform already in force. In month-on-month terms, Social Security recorded 47,319 fewer people employed, in line with the trend of the months of January.
Affiliates by nationality. Absolute values. Total System. Data not adjusted
In the system as a whole, foreign workers already represent 14.1% of the total number of contributors to Social Security, six tenths more than a year ago.
% S/ total Affiliates. Data not adjusted
If we discounted seasonality and the calendar effect, in the last month, the number of employed people from other countries increased by 23,309, to 3,158,890 affiliates.
“The year 2026 begins with more than three million Social Security affiliates born in other countries. They are people who work, undertake, contribute and contribute to sustaining key sectors of our economy. In the last year alone, there are almost 200,000 more affiliations, reflecting a reality that is part of the present and future of our country,” said the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz.
The Venezuelan workers, the collective that grows the most
Of the total number of foreign affiliates, 3,038,158, about 1.7 million are men, while the number of women stands at almost 1.3 million. The presence of working women from other countries represents 42.6% of the total number of foreign workers.
About 30% of foreign affiliates come from European Union countries.
Among the different nationalities, workers from Venezuela are the fastest growing group in the last year, 34,651 members more than the previous year (+19.7%). They are followed by people from Colombia, with 28,890 more members (+13.3%) and Morocco, with an increase of 26,396 workers (+7.7%).
On the other hand, Morocco is the country from which the largest group of Social Security affiliates comes, with 369,584 contributors, followed by Romania (331,107), Colombia (245,960), Venezuela (210,984), Italy (201,477), China (126,907), Peru (99.459) and Ukraine (77,770).
General Social Security System
The contribution of foreign workers is particularly relevant in some sectors of the General Social Security System. In Hospitality, they represent 28.9% of the members; in Agriculture, 26.4%; in Construction, they represent 23.5%; in Transport, 17.6%; and in Administrative Activities, 17.4%.
Along with these sectors, the presence of foreign workers continues to increase in sectors with higher qualifications such as Telecommunications and Computer Programming (13.7%); Scientific and Technical Activities (10.4%) and Financial Activities (5.6%).
Entrepreneurship in highly qualified sectors
The growth of foreign affiliation is especially significant in self-employment, which in January stood at 496,330 workers, 6.2% more than in 2025.
It is worth noting the growing presence of foreign workers who undertake in highly qualified sectors such as Telecommunications and Computer Programming, where they account for 30.8% of the total number of affiliates. Hospitality (25%), Real Estate Activities (19%), Administrative Activities and Construction (both with 17.6%), are the activities that reflect the greater presence of self-employed workers.
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