How Spaniards treat foreigners and immigrants in practice

Key rules

• Overall picture: Most Spaniards are accepting or neutral toward immigrants, and Spain scores better than the EU average on welcoming attitudes.
• Rising concern: Worry about immigration rose sharply from 2023 to 2025, so expect more debate about it than a few years ago.
• Prejudice by origin: Treatment can differ by origin and visibility, so your own experience may be better or worse than the averages.
• Incidents: Harassment or hate incidents belong in the hate-crime and harassment Topic, not in a survey page.

Survey percentages and the status of the regularisation proposal change over time, so check the latest reports listed on this page.

The short answer

Most people in Spain are welcoming in daily life, and surveys show a majority hold accepting or neutral views of immigrants. At the same time, worry about immigration has grown since 2023, and prejudice based on origin is measurable. Expect warmth in most situations and be ready for some friction in a few.

What daily life usually looks like

Most newcomers find neighbours, colleagues and shop staff friendly and curious. Spaniards tend to be sociable, and a few words of Spanish help a lot. Your experience will vary with your city, your neighbourhood and how visible your origin is.

What surveys show

• Acceptance is the majority view. Most respondents say immigrants are needed for the economy and pensions, and that people who work legally should have the same rights.
• Spain compares well with other EU countries. In Europe-wide surveys, Spaniards are more positive than the EU average about immigration and about having people of different ethnic backgrounds as neighbours or colleagues. They are also less negative about immigration from outside the EU than the EU average.
• Public support for regularisation is visible. A citizens' initiative to regularise about 500,000 undocumented migrants gathered over 700,000 signatures. Polls in 2024-2025 showed a majority favouring regularisation for migrants with jobs and roots. Check the current status of that proposal if it affects you.

Where concern and prejudice show up

• Immigration has become a bigger worry. It was long a minor concern in the state research centre's monthly polls. From 2023 to 2025 it climbed into the top group of problems, at times second or third, with roughly one in five people naming it. It can fall back from month to month.
• Some people say there are "too many" immigrants or link immigration to insecurity or pressure on services. That share rose in 2023-2025.
• Stereotypes depend on origin. Surveys measure the population as a whole, not how any one group is treated. People from some origins, or with a visible difference, meet more prejudice than others, for example when looking for housing or work.
• Perceived discrimination is near the EU average. The share of Spaniards who say ethnic discrimination is widespread is around or slightly below that average.

How to use this

Treat the numbers as a trend, not a forecast for your street. Exact percentages change with the survey, the year and the wording of the question. Look at the latest reports listed below for current figures.

If you or your family face harassment, threats or a hate incident, do not handle it alone. The hate-crime and harassment Topic covers what counts and where to report.

The quick answers below cover night-time safety, stereotypes and neighbours.

Reports and data on racism and attitudes in Spain

• OBERAXE, the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (Ministry of Inclusion): Read its yearly surveys on perceptions of racism and hate speech.

• CIS, the state sociological research centre: Look up its several-times-a-year surveys on attitudes toward immigration.

• Ministry of Interior, national hate-crime office: Download the annual report on hate crimes, usually published mid-year, which counts racism and xenophobia incidents known to police.

• Council for the Elimination of Racial or Ethnic Discrimination: Find its panels on how many people perceive and experience discrimination, including how few file complaints.

• ECRI (Council of Europe) and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency: Read ECRI country reports on Spain, issued about every five years, and the EU-MIDIS and Being Black in the EU surveys.

• SOS Racismo, Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Movimiento contra la Intolerancia and the Ombudsman: Check their annual reports for cases and trends from civil society and the national ombudsman.

Quick answers on racism and acceptance in Spain

Is it safe to walk at night in Spanish cities?

Yes, Spain is among the safest large European countries, and most residents feel safe walking alone at night. The most common risk is pickpocketing and bag snatching in tourist areas of Barcelona and Madrid. Some big-city districts feel less safe, so ask locals about your specific neighbourhood.

Do visible minorities face extra risk at night?

There is no solid statistical evidence of higher night-time risk for visible minorities, but some do report verbal abuse, assaults and more frequent police stops. If something happens to you, the hate-crime and harassment Topic explains what to do.

Do Spaniards have stereotypes about foreigners by origin?

Yes, Spaniards hold stereotypes that depend on where you are from, and the most negative ones target Moroccans and Arabs. Latin Americans are seen as culturally close, Northern Europeans are seen positively as wealthy retirees, and Romanians, Roma and sub-Saharan Africans face negative assumptions. Attitudes vary by age, region and politics, and individual experiences differ.

Will my neighbours be hostile to my foreign family?

No, open hostility from neighbours is not the typical experience, and most Spaniards say they accept immigrants as neighbours. When it happens, it shows up as complaints, rejection of new residents or insults, and it falls more on Moroccan, Black and Roma families and on some small towns.

Which Topic covers a child facing racist bullying at school?

The school and education Topic on bullying and discrimination covers a child facing racist bullying at school. Start there for how to raise it with the school and what protections exist.