Only one in three residents of the Marina Alta is from the region
The new demographic data reveal one of the areas in the Valencian Community with the highest proportion of residents from outside the region: 63.6% of its residents were born outside the Marina Alta, while 43.8% were born abroad.
The Marina Alta is a region that has long welcomed people from elsewhere. This has been evident for years in its social reality, property market, economic fabric and the everyday life of its municipalities. Now, the expanded demographic data from the annual population census published by the Institut Valencià d’Estadística confirms this with greater precision, making it possible to compare the profile of residents by region using indicators such as the percentage of foreign nationals, median age, ageing index, dependency ratio and the percentage of people born in the same region.
The most striking figure is this: only 36.4% of Marina Alta residents were born in the region itself. In other words, almost two out of every three residents — 63.6% — were born elsewhere. In approximate terms, of the 199,100 inhabitants recorded in 2025, around 72,500 were born in the Marina Alta, while approximately 126,600 came from other areas.
This percentage places the Marina Alta among the regions of the Valencian Community with the lowest proportion of locally born residents. Only five areas have a lower percentage of residents born in the same region: Marina Baixa, with 29.5%; Camp de Túria, with 31.6%; l’Horta Nord and Alto Mijares, both with 33.1%; and l’Horta Sud, with 35.4%.
The region with the highest foreign population in the entire Valencian Community
The main explanation lies in the enormous residential appeal of the Marina Alta, particularly among foreign residents. In fact, the region tops the regional ranking for the percentage of foreign nationals: 38.9% of its residents have foreign nationality. This is the highest figure of all regions in the Valencian Community, slightly ahead of Baix Segura, at 38.6%, and Marina Baixa, at 34.9%.
The difference compared with the regional average is considerable. Across the Valencian Community as a whole, foreign nationals account for around 19.5% of the population, practically half the percentage recorded in the Marina Alta. The figure is also significantly higher than in densely populated urban regions such as l’Alacantí, at 18.9%; València, at 19.4%; or Plana Alta, at 21.1%.
The phenomenon becomes even more pronounced when looking at place of birth. Some 43.8% of the Marina Alta’s population was born abroad. Once again, the region ranks first in the entire Valencian Community for this indicator, ahead of Baix Segura, at 42%, and Marina Baixa, at 39.9%.
This means that the Marina Alta not only has a very high proportion of residents with foreign nationality, but also a very high proportion of people born outside Spain. The difference between the two percentages also points to a complex demographic reality: some residents born abroad have since acquired Spanish nationality, while other foreign residents remain registered with their nationality of origin.
A region with fewer locally born residents than inland areas
The contrast with other regions of the Valencian Community is striking. In Vall d’Albaida, 66.5% of the population was born in the region itself. In La Costera, the figure is 62.6%; in l’Alcoià, 61.9%; and in Plana de Utiel-Requena, 60.3%. These are areas where locally rooted residents, born within the same region, continue to make up the majority of the population.
The Marina Alta lies at the opposite end of the spectrum: people born there are clearly a minority. It is not an isolated case along the Alicante coastline. Marina Baixa has an even lower proportion of locally born residents, at just 29.5%, while Baix Segura also combines a strong foreign presence with a relatively low proportion of residents born in the area itself.
However, the Marina Alta is particularly significant because several characteristics come together at once: a very high proportion of foreign residents, a high median age, a considerable ageing index and a locally born population that barely exceeds one third of the total.
An ageing region as well
The Marina Alta does not stand out only because of where its residents come from. It is also among the most ageing regions in the Valencian Community. Its median age is 48, above the Valencian average of around 45. It does not reach the highest figures recorded in inland regions such as Alto Mijares, Rincón de Ademuz or Valle de Cofrentes-Ayora, all with a median age of 53, but it is clearly above the younger metropolitan areas.
The Marina Alta has an ageing index of 185. This means there are 185 people over the age of 64 for every 100 people under 16. It is a high figure, although still well below the extremes found in the most depopulated inland regions, such as Alto Mijares, where the index reaches 428.8, or Rincón de Ademuz, at 296.3.
In any case, the Marina Alta also ranks above heavily populated regions such as l’Alacantí, with an ageing index of 135.3; l’Horta Sud, at 123.2; and Baix Vinalopó, at 124.6. The comparison confirms that the arrival of people from elsewhere has not prevented the region from maintaining an ageing demographic structure.
Greater pressure on the working-age population
Another relevant indicator is the dependency ratio, which measures the relationship between the potentially dependent population — children and older people — and the working-age population. In the Marina Alta, it stands at 59.4. This is one of the highest figures in the Valencian Community and is almost identical to that of Baix Segura, at 59.5.
This figure indicates greater pressure on the working-age population and public services, particularly in areas such as healthcare, social care, mobility and dependency services. The region combines a highly international population with an age structure that increasingly requires more resources related to an ageing population.
Only a handful of inland regions have significantly higher dependency ratios, including l’Alt Maestrat, at 72.5; Els Ports, at 67.9; Valle de Cofrentes-Ayora, at 66.9; Rincón de Ademuz, at 66.8; and Alto Mijares, at 65.5.
A snapshot of a region facing major challenges
The Marina Alta is now approaching 200,000 inhabitants, but its society is far more diverse than it was in the past. This, however, also brings new challenges: integrating people who have moved to the region, maintaining social cohesion, access to housing, pressure on healthcare and social services, caring for an ageing population and preserving community ties are among the Marina Alta’s major demographic challenges.
