Data Shows 48% of Brits who Moved to Spain Last Year were
Retired
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Regardless of Brexit, Spain continues
to be the choice of retirees
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The latest data from the Spanish Office of National
Statistics (INE) showed around half of the 300,000 British citizens that moved
to Spain in 2016 were retired. 48% of them were retired.
According to the data, three times as many Brits moved to
Spain across 2016 than Spaniards moving to the UK. The demographics were also
vastly different. Most of the Spaniards moving to the UK are aged 40 or under.
The amount of retirement-age Brits living in Spain has more
than doubled across the past decade. Spain has become the destination of choice
for British retirees because of the warm climate, affordable property, cheap
flights, and EU membership, ensuring that pensions are index-linked to
inflation and grow each year.
British pensioners also stand to receive free healthcare in Spain due to reciprocal agreements between Spain and the UK. The UK has become
an attractive choice for young Spaniards seeking to advanced their careers and
improve their English skills.
The data from the INE showed 22% of Brits registered in
Spain were also employed in the country, with most of them working in
hospitality or catering.
It seems that Brits like to live on the coast, with the
Malaga Province – where the Costa del Sol can be found – is a perennial
favourite; bringing in over 100,000 new UK immigrants across 2016.
The data also revealed Brits took an astonishing 13 million
visits to Spain in 2016 (with a “visit” classed as any stay under 28 days),
much higher than the 849,000 visits Spaniards made to the UK.
