Casares is home to a diverse international community, with foreign nationals accounting for approximately one in three residents. British citizens form the largest overseas community, alongside residents from across Europe, Africa, the Americas and beyond.
Latest population figures for Manilva
The latest official municipal register figure published by Spain’s National Statistics Institute, the INE, gives Manilva a population of 18,165 residents as of 1 January 2025. This is the legally recognised population figure for the municipality.
For the more detailed nationality breakdown, the INE’s 2025 Annual Population Census records 18,044 residents, comprising 10,997 people with Spanish nationality and 7,047 foreign nationals. This means approximately 61% of the population was Spanish and 39% foreign. The difference of 121 people between this figure and the official padrón total arises because the municipal register and the Annual Population Census are separate statistical operations using slightly different methodologies.
Foreign residents by nationality
The largest foreign community was British, with 2,285 UK nationals, representing almost a third of Manilva’s foreign population. This was followed by Morocco with 791, Romania with 395, Italy with 346, Belgium with 229, Argentina with 209, Ukraine with 172, Germany with 168, Colombia with 159, Paraguay with 159, Poland with 147, Ireland with 144, the Netherlands with 130, Bulgaria with 129, France with 122, Russia with 112, Sweden with 100, China with 89, Venezuela with 79, Brazil with 78, Bangladesh with 62, the United States with 60, Portugal with 55, Peru with 54 and Bolivia with 52.
The INE also grouped 251 residents under other EU nationalities, 52 under other Asian nationalities, 31 under other African nationalities and smaller numbers among several other countries and regions.
Residents entitled to vote in municipal elections
The latest complete municipal-election census is from the May 2023 local elections. At that election, Manilva had 9,338 registered municipal voters. This consisted of 8,536 Spanish residents registered in the CER electoral census and 802 foreign residents registered in the CERE census.
The latest monthly electoral data shows that the number of registered Spanish resident voters had risen to 8,966 by 1 December 2025. However, a precise current total including foreign voters cannot yet be given because the CERE register for the next municipal elections has not been finalised. The figure of 9,338 therefore remains the latest complete official municipal electorate figure, but it relates specifically to the 2023 elections.
Importantly, not all of Manilva’s 7,047 foreign residents are automatically entitled to vote. EU nationals may vote after completing the required electoral declaration, while nationals of countries with reciprocal voting agreements must meet the relevant residence and registration conditions. Other non-Spanish residents do not have voting rights in Spanish municipal elections.
Conclusion
Manilva has an official population of 18,165. Approximately 39% of residents are foreign nationals, with British citizens forming by far the largest international community. The last complete municipal electoral roll contained 9,338 voters, including 802 registered foreign voters.
