48% of Brits who moved to Spain last year retired, data shows

Pension-age Brits simply love Spain, with around half of retired UK expats in the EU registered there.

New data analysis by Spain’s Office for National Statistics (INE) has revealed that of the nearly 300,000 British citizens who took up residence in Spain in 2016, 48% were retired…

The data also revealed that three times more Brits moved to Spain last year than Spaniards who moved the other way, and the demographics were equally removed from one another – in general, Spaniards moving to the UK are aged 40 or under.

The number of Brits aged 65 or over who live in Spain has more than doubled over the past decade. Spain is the preferred overseas destination for British pensioners thanks to its warm climate, affordable property, cheap flight connections and EU status, which ensures that pensions are index-linked with inflation, meaning that they rise in value every year.

British pensioners can also enjoy free healthcare in Spain via a reciprocal arrangement between the two countries.

On the other hand, the UK is an attractive destination for young Spaniards looking to further their career and test – and improve – their English.

The INE data also showed that 22% of Brits who registered in Spain last year were employed in the country – the majority in the hospitality and catering sectors.

By region, Brits tend to stick close to the coast, with Málaga Province – home of the Costa del Sol – proving a particularly popular location, drawing over 100,000 new UK citizens in 2016.

The data also showed that Brits visited Spain a staggering 13 million times in 2016 (where a ‘visit’ is deemed any stay not longer than 28 days), compared to 849,000 visits by Spaniards to the UK.