Immigration Ethnic Groups in Spain

[julia90]

Because of its location in the Iberian peninsula, the territory comprising modern Spain has always been at the crossroads of human migration, having harboured many waves of historical immigration. The Spanish Empire, one of the first global empires and one of the largest in the world, spanned all inhabited continents and throughout the years people from these lands emigrated to Spain in varying numbers.
In emigration/immigration terms and after centuries of net emigration, Spain has recently experienced large-scale immigration for the first time in modern history. According to the Spanish government, there were 5,598,691 foreign residents in Spain in January 2010. Of these, well over one million and a half were from Ibero-America (especially from Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil), three quarters of a million were Moroccan, while immigrants from the European Union amounted more than two million (especially from Romania, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Bulgaria). Chinese are estimated to number 145,425, while South East Asian groups such as Filipinos—whose country was a former Spanish possession—created a small community in Spain. Immigrants from several sub-Saharan African countries have also settled in Spain as contract workers, although they represent only 4.08% of all the foreign residents in the country.
The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century due to the spectacular demographic boom in the 1960s and early 1970s. The birth rate then plunged by the 1980s, and Spain's population became stagnant, its demographics showing one of the lowest sub replacement fertility rate in the world, only second to Japan's.
During the early twenty first century, the average year-on-year demographic growth set a new record with its 2003 peak variation of 2.1%, doubling the previous record reached back in the 1960s when a mean year on year growth of 1% was experienced. This trend is far from being reversed at the present moment and, in 2005 alone, the immigrant population of Spain increased by 700 000 people.

 

[julia90]

 

[julia90]

Immigrants from countries belonging to the former Spanish Empire (mainly in Central and South America–Latin America–, Asia–the Philippines– and Africa–Equatorial and Western Sahara–) can obtain Spanish nationality after legal and continuous residence of 2 years in Spain, after which naturalized citizens are no longer counted as immigrants

In order to avoid statelessness, Spain automatically grants Spanish nationality to the children of immigrants born in Spain whose parents' nationality of origin is not transferred jus sanguinis upon their child's birth abroad. Unlike other countries of the EU that do not do it. It is for this reason that although the Latin American immigrants of origin are most numerous, the Romanians or the Moroccans surpassed them in the official statistics.


Immigrants from the European Union make up a growing proportion of immigrants in Spain. The main countries of origin are Romania, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria and Germany.
The British authorities estimate that the real population of UK citizens living in Spain is much bigger than Spanish official figures suggest, establishing them at about 1,000,000, about 800,000 being permanent residents. Of these, according to the BBC and contrary to popular belief, only about 21.5% are over the age of 65.
In fact, according to the Financial Times, Spain is the most favoured destination for West Europeans considering to move from their own country and seek jobs elsewhere in the EU.

 

[Rinconete]

In Spain, the worst immigrants are Muslims (Moroccans). Not integrate into society.

 

[julia90]

indeed, they tend to impose their wrong religion

 

[Franco]

What amazes me most is that those millions of immigrants came to Spain because the Spanish economy did need them, according to our Government . If that was true then how come they don't go back to their countries after four ******* years of tough economic crisis? Only a small percentage of immigrants in Spain have returned to their countries, probably those who really came here with the intention to integrate and work hard. But most of them remain in Spain even if there is no work even for native Spaniards. How do they earn a living given that unemployment rate is literally monstruous in Spain? That's a mistery to me. I can see every morning many of them in public places sit and drinking alcohol. I feel pity for them, but staying here won't do them any good, neither it will do to the whole Spanish society. Did they really came to Spain to work or just because even if they had no employment they would still live better than in their countries thanks to the welfare system, now bound to collapse?

 

[Segia2]

I've met a lot of north africans integrated.

 

[Canek]

most of latin americans have already returning from Spain (a country that is basically bankrupted), in fact there are many spanish migrating right now to South America seeking for our help... Latin America is the future, and some selfish european countries will have to start to respect us now...