BBC News: UK expats in Spain outnumber Spanish in UK

29 June 2017

There are almost two-and-a-half times as many UK citizens living in Spain as Spanish citizens resident in the UK, says BBC News.

The figures come from a special report by the Office for National Statistics, designed to provide more information ahead of Brexit negotiations.

It shows that almost 300,000 British citizens were resident in Spain for 12 months or more in 2016, while 116,000 Spaniards were living in the UK. [...]

Also, 48% of British citizens resident in Spain are retired. That number has increased rapidly in recent years.

Spaniards in the UK are mainly from younger age groups (half of them are between 20 and 39).

They also tend to have jobs: 59% of them are employed. They work in three main sectors:

In all, 5% of Spanish citizens in the UK are unemployed.

Of British citizens living in Spain, almost half are retired and 22% are employed, with hotel and catering the most popular work; 11% are unemployed.

Those too young to work and the economically inactive, including those staying at home with children and students, make up the rest. [...]

Full article on BBC News


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