The Spanish Coastal Towns Where British Expats Make Up Nearly Half the Population

Where the British Have Really Settled in Spain

New data from Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE), mapped and reported by El País, reveals the five Spanish coastal towns where British residents make up the largest share of the local population. The results are striking — and in some cases, surprising.

The headline finding: no Costa del Sol town appears in the top five, despite that region's reputation as the heartland of British expat life in Spain. The real concentration is further north and east — in Murcia and Almería above all.

The Top Five Towns

1. Mazarrón, Murcia — 55% British

Mazarrón tops the list, with one neighbourhood reaching nearly 55% British residents — the highest concentration anywhere in Spain. Across the wider town, 53% of residents are foreign-born, with 31% specifically British. British Navy veteran Billie Graham-Thomas describes it as "a wonderful blend of British and Spanish life."

2. Arboleas, Almería — 49% British

A village of around 4,000 people in the Almería interior. Despite its small size, Arboleas has developed a well-established British community complete with quiz nights, birdwatching groups and Church of England services. The British percentage has eased back from a previous high of 53%, but the town remains 67% immigrant overall.

3. Partaloa, Almería — 45% British

With a total population of just 836, Partaloa punches well above its weight in expat terms — 68% of residents are foreign-born, with Brits making up 45%. Mayor María Joaquina López García welcomes the demographic: "They participate in community life and bring diversity."

4. Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante — 44% British

A larger town of 25,000 people on the southern Costa Blanca, where some areas exceed 75% expat populations. Despite the numbers, local garage owner Roger McDowell notes it still "feels like a quintessentially Spanish town" — a tribute to how integration has worked in both directions.

5. Bédar, Almería — 42% British

A hillside town of 928 residents where British arrivals have actively helped reverse depopulation — a trend affecting many small inland Spanish municipalities. Over 60% of residents are expatriates overall.

The Costa del Sol Surprise

The absence of any Costa del Sol town from this list deserves attention. Marbella, Nerja, Fuengirola and Torremolinos are all well-known as British expat strongholds — but they are also large, diverse towns where the British community, however visible, does not dominate numerically in the same way as in these smaller Almería and Murcia settlements.

The towns at the top of the INE list tend to be smaller, more rural, and in some cases have essentially been transformed by expat arrivals from communities that were in demographic decline. The dynamic is different from the big coastal resorts — less about tourist infrastructure, more about people who chose a village and made it home.

What the Numbers Mean

For prospective expats weighing up where to settle, these figures offer a useful lens. A town like Mazarrón or Arboleas will feel very different from settling in Málaga or Alicante city — more community-oriented, more English-speaking day-to-day, but also more removed from major infrastructure. The trade-offs are real, and depend entirely on what kind of Spanish life you are looking for.

This article is based on reporting from The Olive Press, published April 28, 2026, drawing on INE data as mapped by El País.