How a pretty tiny Spanish village has become a haven for British expats
A tiny whitewashed village, officially the least populated in its province, has become an expat haven, with foreigners making up a surprising percentage of the population.
With just 192 residents according to the 2023 census, the picturesque Spanish village of Salares is officially the least populated village in the province of Malaga. However, a surprising percentage of the population is made up of expats, most of them British.
In fact, there are 20 British living there, alongside four Belgians, two Moroccans, a Dane and a Romanian, according to The Olive Press. This means that expats make up more than 10 percent of the population.
The numbers are also growing - six new residents moved in over the past year.
Salaras is a picturesque white-washed pueblo in Axarquia, situated in a natural park in the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama.
It is some 42 miles inland from Malaga city - a journey that will take around two hours by car via mountain roads.
The town is a typical Andalucian mountain village, filled with narrow winding stress and the remnants of the former Arab kingdoms that ruled there. Some of its streets are so steep that you have to take steps to climb them.
Its minaret tower church in the centre of town is also an official historic monument, having been built by ruling Arabs during the medieval Mudejar period. The Casa del Torreon and the remains of a fortress and old mosque wall also date back to Muslim Spain.
Salares was also once a Roman settlement, with its bridge of the Salaras Rover at the exit of the town dating back to the Roman era and is still in perfect condition and in use today.
The village was also previously inhabited by the Phoenicians, Greeks and even the Carthaginians.
In September, Salares holds its Festival Araba Andalusi, honouring its Arab history.
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British migration to Spain has resulted in it being home to one of the largest British-born populations outside the UK and the largest in Europe.
According to recent estimates by Statista, there were over 284,000 British citizens living in Spain as of 2023. However some estimates suggest that the number could be as high as one million. There are said to be around 88,660 living in the Andalusia region, the southernmost autonomous community home to beaches and sunshine in its cities of Malaga, Seville and Granada.
A further 85,000 or more live in Valencia, with its popular capital city of the same name.
UK nationals who have been living in Spain lawfully for at least five years can apply for indefinite permission to reside there.
