Nearly four in ten children born in the Alicante province have foreign mothers, mirroring the latest population data released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on 1st April 2026.
The figures show that out of 2.1 million current residents, 646,778 hold a non-Spanish nationality, compared to 1,442,776 Spanish nationals. Consequently, one in three inhabitants across the province were born abroad.
A higher number of foreign mothers, classified by country of birth, has driven up the overall birth rate in Alicante. This upward trend from recent years is supported by the latest official figures from the INE from 2024, whilst the 2025 data is still awaiting publication. Regionally, only Barcelona exceeds Alicante’s figure with 46% of births to foreign mothers. Alicante stands level with Madrid at 39%, and sits ahead of Valencia at 35%.
Seville, which ranks fifth nationally for total births, falls significantly behind in this metric. It recorded more births overall than Alicante (14,103 compared to 13,207) but only 14% of its babies were born to foreign mothers, well below the national average of 33%.
Furthermore, data from the Valencian Institute of Statistics (IVE) in its 2024 Natural Population Movement analysis highlights seven specific municipalities where births to foreign mothers outnumbered those to Spanish mothers. These towns are Benidorm, Benissa, Calpe, Javea, Rojales, Teulada, and Torrevieja. Together, they accounted for 910 births to foreign mothers compared to 712 to Spanish mothers in 2024.
For the opening quarter of 2026, the latest overall birth figure for the province stands at 3,324 according to the INE.
Mothers over 40 and complex pregnancies
Another defining feature of the current birth rate is that the number of mothers aged over 40 has now equalled those under 25. This shift has resulted in a higher frequency of premature and multiple births, particularly twins.
The Obstetrics and Reproduction Unit at Dr Balmis Hospital in Alicante, the primary hospital for the province, oversaw 2,117 births in 2025, which is 21 more than the previous year. Within this, births occurring between 28 and 37 weeks of gestation increased by 15%, rising from 144 to 166 cases. Multiple births also climbed to a total of 46. The vast majority were twins, though one case of triplets was recorded, compared to 33 sets of twins during the prior year.
The take-up of epidural anaesthesia remains high, being utilised in 84% of vaginal deliveries.
Dr José Antonio López, head of the Gynaecology Department at the Alicante General Hospital, noted that the data point towards increased activity and more complex pregnancies. As a provincial referral centre for neonatology, his unit receives high-risk pregnancy patients from across the province, particularly those expecting low-birth- weight babies or requiring specialist neonatal care.
Dr López explained that the 2025 surge shows the hospital is well prepared, adding that the older age of mothers serves as a primary risk factor for complications. He stated that delaying motherhood makes conception more difficult and escalates the risks of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, growth retardation, and premature births.
Developments in assisted reproduction
Dr Balmis Hospital continues to lead in assisted reproduction, executing 270 cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), along with 300 embryo transfers. Success rates are positive, yielding a 57.5% pregnancy rate per IVF/ICSI transfer, and an 89% success rate for egg donations.
Additionally, fertility preservation was indicated in 57 cases, mostly via oocyte vitrification. The IVF unit at Alicante Hospital serves as the referral hub for other regional hospitals, including Sant Joan and Vega Baja.
In the south of the province, the Elche University General Hospital achieved a milestone by treating 1,000 children in its follow-up initiative for extremely premature infants. Operated by the Neonatology Unit since 2004, this programme tracks vulnerable newborns weighing under 1,500 grams from the time of discharge until they turn five to manage development risks.
In the private sector, the Instituto Bernabeu Group conducted 7,568 fertility treatments in 2025. Nearly half of these (3,480) took place within Alicante province, with the remainder distributed across Madrid, Palma, Albacete, Cartagena, and Venice.
Dr Jordi Suñol, the group’s coordinator in Mallorca, highlighted a notable post-mortem case involving a German patient whose husband had passed away in a road accident. Following years of unsuccessful IVF attempts, she successfully cleared the legal requirements to transport her late husband’s frozen sperm from Germany just before the legal deadline. The treatment succeeded on the first attempt, resulting in the birth of her son.
