Mapping foreign nationals in Spain: an exploratory approach at local level

Abstract

Spain, which has long been a country of emigration, has become, within a few years, one of the European countries which welcomes the most foreign nationals onto its territory. These foreign nationals constitute a boon from a demographic point of view, limiting the depopulation of the territory induced by its accelerated ageing. Nevertheless, the establishment of foreign nationals is not a phenomenon that is equally distributed over the area. Indeed, foreign nationals are not equally located over Spanish territory. The spatial inequalities in their distribution merit specific attention, especially as they show significant differences according to countries of origin. Relying on data from municipal population registers (Padrón), this article offers a fine-scale, detailed exploration of the distribution of foreign nationals in Spain, to highlight the logic of differentiated occupation of Spanish space. The results show that certain nationalities occupy the territories without much sharing (Romanians and Bulgarians in rural areas for example), while others cohabit with different nationalities (Germans and English in recreational areas). Finally, certain nationalities (Moroccans in particular) are present in very specific locations, where there is an alternation of shared territories and exclusive occupation.