Population in crisis-hit Spain drops by 114,000 in 2012 as tens of thousands leave country
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Spain's population dropped by a little under 114,000 to 46.7 million last year as many of the country's foreign residents opted to leave in the wake of a five-year economic crisis.
The National Statistics Institute said Tuesday a total of 476,748 people left Spain last year while 314,358 moved to the country.
Of those that left, 417,023 were foreigners. Spain has 5.5 million foreigners registered as residents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Spanish economy has been in recession for most of the past four years following the collapse of its credit-fuelled real estate sector in 2008.
The population had grown by nearly a fifth in the decade before the crisis erupted, with foreigners flocking to the country for work.