Marbella the third most international city in Spain.

Marbella has the most different nationalities represented among its inhabitants than any other town or city in Andalucía, latest figures show.

With 153 different nationalities, it’s also the third destination in Spain with the most diverse backgrounds among its residents. The Costa del Sol destination trails Madrid with 180 and Barcelona (177).

The United Nations officially recognises 195 countries in the world, of this number, there are residents from 153 living in Marbella, meaning 78.4% of the globe’s nationalities are represented in the Costa del Sol town. According to Marbella’s census data updated on 1 January 2024, the town has 165,871 inhabitants after adding 9,576 new residents.

Countries of origin

In Marbella, topping the list is Spain with 112,013 citizens; some 5,486 are from the United Kingdom; Morocco (5,177); Ukraine (4,516); Colombia (3,712) and Russia (3,319). “An example of the demographic movement that our town is experiencing is shown through the four citizen service offices we now have in Marbella, San Pedro Alcántara, Nueva Andalucía and Las Chapas,” San Pedro mayor Javier García said.

Almost 30% of Marbella’s residents are foreigners, he added. Among the most curious places of origin are smaller states such as Liechtenstein, and micro-states such as San Marino, Caribbean islands such as Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia, lesser-known countries such as Tajikistan or Burundi and even the distant Vanuatu.