Farewell and adieu: nation's youth hits migration trail
Number of Spaniards leaving in search of opportunities abroad up by over a third during 2011
More Spaniards moved abroad this year in search of a better life, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Between January and September, 50,521 Spaniards left home looking for better opportunities, mainly in Britain, France, the United States and Germany, the INE said. This number is up 36.6 percent from 2010.
Figures show that more Spanish men - mostly young individuals - than women have migrated. They prefer to stay within the European Union, but many have also gone as far as South America.
By regions, Madrid had the highest number of Spaniards who have left within the nine-month period, followed by Catalonia, Andalusia and Valencia. Catalonia, nevertheless, had the highest number of foreigners who left between January and September this year.
"Society has changed. There is no longer the stereotypical Spaniard who boards a boat in A Coruña with his baggage," says Antonio Izquierdo, a statistician from the INE.
"Migrating is no longer considered suicidal or a risk. They can always purchase a return ticket for 500 euros. Whether they will return or not depends on how well it goes for them, or if the situation improves back home."
Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo
¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción?
Si continúas leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podrá leer en el otro.
FlechaTu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PAÍS desde un dispositivo a la vez.
Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium, así podrás añadir otro usuario. Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS.
En el caso de no saber quién está usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contraseña aquí.
Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrará en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que está usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aquí los términos y condiciones de la suscripción digital.