The number of Spanish nationals living abroad has increased by 8.2% (128,655) since last year. According to figures provided by the census of Spaniards abroad there are now 1,702,778 Spaniards living abroad.

America is the most popular continent accounting for 61.6% (1,049,465) of Spaniards who live abroad followed by 35% (602,178) in Europe and 3% in the rest of the world (14,917 in Africa, 19,310 in Asia and 16,908 in Oceania).

The largest increase has been in Spaniards moving to the American continent with 102,764 Spaniards leaving for this continent last year which represents an increase of 10.9%.

The countries with the highest number of Spaniards living in them are Argentina (345,866), France (189,909), Venezuela (173,456) and Germany (108,469). The number of Spanish nationals living in Cuba has increased by 43.3% since last year going up from 52,638 residents in 2010 to 75,433 in 2011.

Women represent the 51.1% of Spaniards living abroad which is similar to the figures recorded last year.

Most of the Spaniards living abroad were born in the country they are now residing in (56.8%) while 37.6% were born in Spain – 4.8% were born in other countries.

With regards to age 14.3% of people registered in the census of Spaniards living abroad are under the age of 16, 61.9% are aged between 16 and 64 and 23.7% are aged 65 or over. The largest group of those aged 16 years and under live in America while 41.1% live in Europe.

Out of those aged between 16 and 64 years old 59.4% live in the American continent and 37.5% live in Europe. The figures for the number of Spaniards aged over 65 years old living abroad are similar with 71.8% living in America whilst the number living in Europe is lower at just 26.3%.