21 per cent of the two and a half million Europeans who live in Spain are pensioners who do not register on the town census because they are afraid of having to pay taxes

90 per cent of European pensioners who retire to Spain live in just eight Spanish provinces, including Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, the Balearic Islands, Las Palmas, Gerona and Murcia. A study carried out by the Elcano Royal Institute reveals that 21 per cent of the two and a half million Europeans who live in Spain are pensioners who do not register on the town census because they are afraid of having to pay taxes, don’t speak the language, don’t want to lose social benefits in their own countries or don’t know why they should do so.