Population of Marbella swells as thousands of expats move in: These are the areas most popular with foreign residents

MARBELLA’S population has seen a huge rise with thousands of new expats choosing the Costa del Sol. 

With sun, sea and sand all year round, it’s no wonder that Marbella has always been a popular spot with Brits and other Europeans. 

But this year, the expat population has exploded with almost 5,000 new foreign residents. 

In the past four years, the amount of expats in the area has grown by 11,000, with almost half of these arriving in the last year. 

According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), this has helped push the local population to grow by 6.7% in the last five years.

Now the population stands at around 150,725 residents, almost a third of which, 51,024, are foreigners.

The most popular area with expats is Nueva Andalucia, where 86% of residents are foreign. 

Las Chapas comes next with 56% foreign residents, followed by San Pedro de Alcantara with 27% and Marbella city with 16%. 

Around 150,725 people are registered citizens in Marbella city, although according to levels of water use, the real number of inhabitants could be around 200,000. 

The city also experiences a huge population boom in summer when tourists arrive, doubling the number of people to 400,000. 

Thanks to the increase in expats and summer tourism, Marbella is now the seventh biggest city in Andalucia, following Sevilla, Malaga, Cordoba, Granada, Jerez and Almeria. 

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