Alicante reports high income inequality and rising foreign populations

Recent reports highlight significant demographic and economic shifts in the Alicante province of Spain. According to a study by the Foundation for Applied Economics Studies (Fedea), the municipalities of Elda and Torrevieja rank among the ten locations in Spain with the highest income inequality for towns with over 50,000 inhabitants. Using the Gini coefficient to measure income distribution, the report notes that high inequality exists in both high-income areas like Pozuelo de Alarcón and lower-income municipalities such as Elda and Torrevieja.

Simultaneously, demographic data indicates a major increase in the foreign-born population within the province. Reports from the Migration Secretariat of the Diocese of Orihuela and the National Statistics Institute show that foreign nationals now outnumber Spanish citizens in 13 municipalities across Alicante. In some coastal areas, foreign residents comprise approximately 60 percent of the population. Rojales is noted as a significant example, where nearly 12,000 of its 17,500 residents are foreign nationals, many of whom are from the United Kingdom or other European nations.