Retiring to Spain: An Analysis of Differences among North European Nationals

The aim of this study is to analyse the growing importance of international retirement migration (IRM) by focusing on the differences among the British, German and Nordic expatriate communities living on the Costa Blanca, Spain. The first section discusses recent developments in the study of IRM and outlines the objectives of this article. Next, the methodology is presented. The third section reports the results of a survey conducted among older British, German and Nordic residents in the study area of Torrevieja. It is shown that there are significant differences among the three national groups, particularly in their socio-demographic and economic backgrounds, residential choices and patterns of mobility. The conclusions emphasise the need for further research on cross-national and inter-local differences in IRM.