British migration to Spain

British citizens in Spain and
Spaniards of British origin
Ciudadanos británicos en España y
españoles de origen británico

Total population
(297,229)
Regions with significant populations
Andalusia, Valencian Community, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands
Languages
English, Spanish
Religion
Anglicanism, Protestantism and Catholicism,
Related ethnic groups
Britons

British migration to Spain has resulted in Spain being home to one of the largest British-born populations outside of the United Kingdom. Migration from the UK to Spain has increased rapidly since the late 1990s and the British population of Spain in 2014 was estimated to be about 300,286. According to the BBC, there are 761,000 British residents in Spain.

Demographics

Population size

In 2014, the officially registered British-born population of Spain numbered 300,286, but in 2012 this figure was 397,892, and 107,326 in 2001.

Population distribution

According to the data collected by the INE, the distribution of Britons in Spain in 2005 was as follows:

Location	Population
Valencian Community	82,214
Andalusia	63,472
Canary Islands	24,742
Balearic Islands	14,744
Catalonia	13,747
Region of Murcia	9,708
Other autonomies	9,564
Community of Madrid	6,650

Social issues

Research has shown that a section of the British population in Spain is poorly integrated into Spanish society. A survey of 340 British migrants in the Province of Málaga, for example, found that one third rarely or never met Spanish people, apart from in shops and restaurants, and that 60 per cent did not speak Spanish well. A number of initiatives have been launched to improve integration of British migrants into Spanish life, including language course provision. As a result of the 2008 global financial crisis, some British people in Spain who want to return to the UK have been unable to do so because of the difficult of selling property in a depressed local housing market. Figures published in January 2015 showed that 2,973 British nationals were in receipt of unemployment benefits in Spain.

Education

There are multiple British international schools located in Spain. The National Association of British Schools in Spain has 52 member schools.

See also

• Demographics of Spain
• Spaniards in the United Kingdom

External links

• Our work with schools - British Council Spain - About the council's work with British international schools in Spain