Spain’s beach resort town of Torrevieja is a popular spot with ex-pats to settle down in Spain’s Alicante province and enjoy the sun, or in some cases, relief from turmoil at home. So many, that by the time you read this, they will outnumber Spaniards resident in the city.
Local official population figures at the end of 2023 showed 49,944 foreigners resident in the city, along with 50,477 Spaniards—and the ex-pat population is growing faster than the locals.
The incomers are from 122 different countries, but more than a third come from three countries: Ukraine, with 7,650, Russia with 5,837 and 4,912 from the UK. Next after them are Colombians (4,360) and Moroccans (2,473). And those figures are for residents in the city, not including second-home owners who spend part of the year there.
Altogether, the continuing influx made Torrevieja not only the Spanish city with the most foreign residents but also the fastest growing, with a 6.8% increase in 2023.
