Expatica news

Sixfold increase in foreigners in Spain since 1998

9 November 2005

MADRID —  The number of foreigners registered with the Spanish authorities has increased by six times over the past eight years, official figures showed.

The number of foreigners who had registered with the social security system has increased more than sixfold, the government said.

The figure has climbed from 262,771 in 1998 to 1,720,871 as of October of this year.

Of the 1,458,100 foreigners who signed up with the social security – primarily a public health system – more than 44 percent did so between January and October of 2005, most likely as a result of an amnesty for illegal immigrants that the Spanish government implemented in May.

Through October, a total of 18,194,803 people were registered with Social Security, making the 1,720,871 foreigners 9.5 percent of the total population.

The figures also reveal that many more foreign workers now come from outside the European Union, especially from Latin America.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news