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Alicante city centre promenade bustling with visitors from all origins. Shootori
The Profile of Immigrants in Alicante Province: From Colombia, Ukraine, and Morocco, and of Working Age

The Profile of Immigrants in Alicante Province: From Colombia, Ukraine, and Morocco, and of Working Age

The region ranks as the fourth Spanish province receiving the most migrants in 2023 | Of the total 81,000, more than 22,000 were aged between 20 and 39

Óscar Bartual Bardisa

Alicante

Sábado, 28 de diciembre 2024, 07:27

The province of Alicante is one of the most populated in Spain with over two million inhabitants, only behind Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. It is expected that in the next decade, the region will continue on the path of growth, even with much larger increases.

Part of the reason for this exponential growth is the foreign population, which with 485,008 people represents 24% of the total residents in Alicante. Only Madrid and Barcelona have a higher number of foreigners in their census. Projections indicate that, in the next decade, they will account for more than 36%.

These increases in the foreign population are due to the large number of migrants the province receives each year, the fourth highest in all of Spain in 2023. According to the Migration and Residence Change Statistics published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province received 81,414 immigrants last year.

This figure is about 3,331 fewer than in 2022 and almost 20,000 more than in 2021. The number recorded by Alicante brings the province closer to Valencia, which received about 86,000 migrants during the past year.

The data published by the INE allows for a comprehensive overview of the migrants settled in the province during 2023. One in four is of working age, and among the most numerous origins are European and South American citizens, followed by Africans.

Colombians are the largest nationality among immigrants arriving in the province. According to INE data, Alicante received 12,482 citizens from the coffee-growing country, a number very similar to that of 2022. In fact, the migrant figures are similar, with slight declines, to those of that year, except for Ukrainians.

Despite being the second-largest nationality of immigrants in 2023, the number has halved from one year to the next, mainly due to the war. In 2022, the conflict led to a flow of Ukrainian citizens to Spain, with Alicante being one of the provinces that welcomed the most refugees. In 2023, the number of immigrants from this country stood at 7,497 people.

The podium of the most numerous nationalities is completed by Morocco, the third country from which most people emigrated to Alicante. According to INE data, more than 5,800 people arrived in the province in 2023, with significant growth compared to 2022. In fact, Alicante hosted 1,100 more people from Algeria and Morocco last year than in 2022.

Even with lower numbers, the statistics also highlight Algerians themselves, with 4,328 migrants in Alicante, and other European countries that are among the main tourist markets of the Costa Blanca. This includes the United Kingdom, from which 4,063 people emigrated, or Russia, with 4,257 immigrants. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy also exceeded 2,000 migrants in Alicante.

Main age groups

Regarding ages, more than 25% of immigrants arriving in Alicante during 2023 fall within the 25 to 39 age bracket, about 22,200 people, making this the largest group. The 40 to 54 age group also exceeds two digits, with more than 16,000 migrants of these ages.

The large number of minors who moved to establish their residence in the province of Alicante last year is also noteworthy. Thus, INE data places more than 12,000 young people under 15 years old who arrived in the Alicante territory.

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