Population rise in detail

APPEALS from local authorities to expats to sign on the municipal register (padrón) in Alicante province appear to have borne fruit, according to the latest report by the national statistics institute (INE).

Detailed figures now show that the number of registered residents increased in 2018 in most towns and cities in the north coast of Alicante.

According to INE, the highest population rises occurred in Calpe (829 new residents), Benidorm (727 new residents), Orihuela (681 new residents), Santa Pola (608 new residents).

However in the south, Torrevieja continues to haemorrhage registered citizens, down by 653 – and the south Alicante town has lost more residents than any other municipality in Alicante province in the last five years.

Nevertheless, Torrevieja is still the third most populated city in Alicante province – only Alicante and Elche have more registered residents, with Orihuela in fourth and Benidorm (67,558) in fifth.

Only Villajoyosa and Elche have grown in the last five years, with the former up from 33,834 to 33,969 and the later rising from 230,224 to 230,625.