Europeans under the economic crisis: recent migratory patterns changes in Spain

Abstract

Europeans presently are the largest foreign population group. Around 2.6 million Europeans 47% of 5.7 million foreigners registered in Spanish municipalities– are now (2011) living in Spain, 1.2 million of them are from the former EU-15 countries, and 1.4 million from other European countries (12 new member states and non-EU countries). This paper aims to study how Europeans’ migration patterns have changed during the present economic recession. Padrón continuo (Spain’s centralized local register) and Estadística de Variaciones Residenciales (residential mobility statistics) data are used. Results show that Europeans’ entry flows to Spain have substantially decreased since 2008 and that their internal mobility has also fallen. Geographical patterns have also changed, as some of the provinces where the construction sector was particularly dynamic, like Mediterranean ones, have strongly been hit by the crisis, and therefore have gone from attracting to expelling migrants.