Moroccans make up the highest number of foreign inmates in Spanish prisons

In response to a parliamentary question from MP Alberto Catalán of the Union of the Navarrese People (UPN) about the distribution of foreign inmates in Spain, the Spanish government revealed that Moroccans form the largest group among foreign prisoners.

Their numbers have reached about 3,841, making up over 27.54% of the total foreign prison population, which stands at more than 13940.

Colombians come in second, with over 1500 inmates, representing around 11% of the total prison population, followed by Romanians with more than 1150 inmates.

Algerians take fourth position with approximately 1000 inmates, accounting for over 7% of the prison population.

Madrid (La Comunidad De Madrid) leads the Spanish regions with the highest number of inmates, hosting over 3350 prisoners, which is about 24% of the national total.

Andalusia follows with more than 2650 inmates, and Valencia ranks third with over 13% of Spain’s inmate population.

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior’s latest annual report, from the end of December last year, indicated that foreign inmates made up roughly 16.5% of the total prison population, which was then over 17690.

Moroccans, according to the same source, accounted for over 29% of all foreign prisoners, followed by Colombians at over 9%, Romanians at 7.4%, and Algerians at 6.6%.

The report also showcased that among Moroccan inmates, there were about 5138 men compared to only 75 women. In contrast, Colombian women accounted for 18% of all female inmates in Spain.

British inmates represented around 1.1% of foreign prisoners, while EU nationals total over 2950, making up 16.7% of the entire prison population in Spain.

A comparison of these figures showcased a decrease in the number of Moroccan inmates in Spanish prisons, down from 5213 at the end of last year to 3841 by September 2024, though Moroccans still top the foreign inmate population in Spanish correctional facilities.