Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Two very different trends are reshaping Spain’s foreign-born populations. Young internationals populate major cities, while older expats remain attracted to coastal areas.
Spain has 10 million people who were born outside the country. New official statistics show that geography plays a major role in determining where they live, how old they are and what they do.
The latest continuous population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística Almost one fifth of the population in Spain is born abroad.
However, the age profiles of these residents differ dramatically between coastal provinces and major cities.
In Barcelona, just over half of all residents aged between 30 and 34 were born abroad – an astonishing statistic.
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In Madrid, this figure is about 45% for the same group of age.
For those between the ages of 25 and 39, in both provinces there are approximately four people born abroad for every ten.
These figures demonstrate how Spain’s major cities attract young international workers, students and entrepreneurs.
The pattern is very different on the coast.
In Alicante, 30.6% (55-64 years old) of the residents were born abroad.
On the Balearic Islands this share is 28,4%.
In Santa Cruz de Tenerife province, it reaches 27.9%.
It means that, in some coastal regions, almost one-third of the people in their fifties or early sixties were born abroad.
Most surprisingly, Costa del Sol towns have a 50-50 split between the native-born and foreign-born population in the same age group.
In Estepona, the figures stands at 39.50%; in Mijas it is 46.70% and – most stunningly of all – in Marbella the percentage of foreign born 55 to 64-year-olds tops out at 48.20%
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Comparatively, provinces in the interior such as Jaen and Cordoba have foreign-born populations of only 4% to 5% for the same age range.
The data is taken from the Spanish municipal population register (also known as the padrónThe identifies the age of residents and their country of origin.
The registration of anyone who lives in Spain for a long time is one of the best indicators of population change.
The figures show a distinct divergence between expats.
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Barcelona and Madrid have become popular with younger expats in their working years. The costas, however, continue to be a magnet for older expats, retirees, and long-term residents.
The number of international residents in Spain’s coastal provinces remains higher among the over-55s despite the fact that it is a general trend for foreign-born people to decline with age.
The Olive Press has more Costa Del Sol News. Click here to read it.
