[4] According to the data collected by the INE, the distribution of Britons in Spain in 2005 was as follows:[5] Research has shown that most of the British population in Spain is poorly socially integrated into Spanish society.

[6][7][8] A survey of 340 British migrants in the Province of Málaga, for example, found that one third rarely or never met Spanish people, apart from in shops and restaurants, and that 60 per cent did not speak Spanish well.

[9] A number of initiatives have been launched to improve integration of British migrants into Spanish life, including language course provision.

During the Great Recession, some British people in Spain who wanted to return to the UK were unable to do so because of the difficulty of selling property in a depressed local housing market.

[10] Figures published in January 2015 showed that 2,973 British nationals were in receipt of unemployment benefits in Spain, paid by the host country.