Agreed Allocation of Immigrant Minors Across Spain’s Autonomous Communities

The ordinary reception capacity of child‑protection systems in all autonomous communities is now known.

The Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday the Royal Decree that sets the ordinary reception capacity for child‑protection services in every autonomous community and city. This decisive step activates the relocation mechanism for unaccompanied migrant minors from the Canary Islands and Ceuta, in line with Royal Decree‑Law 2/2025.

The regulation mandates that each territory must maintain a ratio of 32.6 places per 100,000 inhabitants for the care of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents. This figure will determine the number of transfers each community will assume in the coming months, aiming for an equitable and solidary distribution.

“This is a turning point in the development of a dignified and solidary reception process,” said Youth and Childhood Minister Sira Rego. “Everything is ready for the transfers to begin according to the established protocol.”
She added that the step is taken “despite attempts by certain territories to block it,” emphasizing the state’s duty to guarantee the rights of migrant minors.

Capacity by territory

According to the approved calculations, the three regions with the highest ordinary capacity are:

• Andalusia: 2,827 places
• Catalonia: 2,650 places
• Madrid: 2,325 places

They are followed by:

• Valencian Community: 1,767 places
• Galicia: 886 places
• Castile and León: 783 places
• Canary Islands: 737 places
• Basque Country: 731 places

The next tier includes:

• Castile‑La Mancha: 692 places
• Murcia: 517 places
• Aragon: 441 places
• Balearic Islands: 406 places

Territories with the lowest capacity:

• Extremadura: 344 places
• Asturias: 331 places
• Navarre: 223 places
• Cantabria: 194 places
• La Rioja: 107 places

Finally, Ceuta and Melilla must provide 27 and 28 places respectively.

In total, Spain’s child‑protection system currently serves about 16,000 minors. With the new regulation, the aim is to bring stability and predictability to the distribution of the roughly 3,900 pending minors awaiting relocation from the Canary Islands and Ceuta.

How capacities are calculated

The ordinary capacity for each territory was derived from the following weighted parameters:

• Population: 50 %
• Per‑capita income: 13 %
• Unemployment rate: 15 %
• Historical reception effort: 6 %
• Structural size of the system: 10 %
• Other factors (insularity, geographic dispersion, border status, etc.)

If a territory triples its ordinary capacity, it will be declared in a state of extraordinary migratory contingency, triggering an automatic referral protocol to other communities.