Foreign Residents in the Canary Islands Reach Record Levels as British Community Continues to Decline
The Canary Islands are experiencing one of the biggest demographic shifts in their modern history. While the number of international residents has grown dramatically over the past two decades, one long-established community is moving in the opposite direction.
According to the latest demographic analysis based on data from the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics (ISTAC), the number of foreign residents living across the islands has increased by 343% since the early 2000s, rising from just over 77,000 people to more than 342,000.
For many visitors to Lanzarote, this may come as little surprise. The island has become increasingly popular not only with holidaymakers but also with people choosing to relocate permanently, attracted by the year-round climate, outdoor lifestyle and growing international communities.
British Population Continues to Decline
Despite the overall rise in foreign residents, the figures show that the British community has been steadily shrinking.
Between 2021 and 2025, the number of UK nationals officially registered as residents in the Canary Islands fell from 28,995 to 25,740, a decrease of more than 3,200 people (11.2%). During the same period, the British became the fifth-largest foreign community, having previously been the second largest.
While no single reason has been identified, experts believe several factors may be contributing, including:
- Brexit-related residency and administrative changes.
- An ageing British population, with many retirees returning to the UK or moving into assisted care.
- Rising property prices and increasing living costs.
- New migration from other countries outpacing British arrivals.
Italians and Colombians Lead New Growth
The strongest growth has come from residents arriving from Italy and Colombia.
Italians are now the largest foreign nationality living in the Canary Islands, while the Colombian community has expanded particularly rapidly since the pandemic. In Lanzarote, Colombians have become one of the island’s most significant international communities and, according to the latest figures, are now the largest foreign resident group on the island.
An Ageing British Community
The statistics also reveal an important demographic difference.
Almost 40% of British residents are aged over 65, making the British one of the oldest foreign communities in the Canary Islands. By comparison, only around 15% of Italian residents and just over 4% of Colombian residents fall into the same age category.
This reflects how migration patterns have changed over recent years. Whereas many British residents originally moved to the islands for retirement, newer arrivals from countries such as Italy and Colombia are generally younger and relocating for employment, business opportunities or family reasons.
What Does This Mean for Lanzarote?
For Lanzarote, these changing demographics are already visible.
International businesses, multilingual services, schools and cultural events continue to expand as the island becomes increasingly diverse. While British tourists remain one of Lanzarote’s most important visitor markets, the resident population is gradually becoming more varied than ever before.
For businesses, this could mean adapting services and marketing to appeal to a broader international audience, while still recognising the importance of long-established British residents and visitors.
Will the Trend Continue?
Although the British population has declined in recent years, the UK remains one of Lanzarote’s most important tourism markets, with hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers visiting the island every year.
Whether the resident British community stabilises will depend on factors such as immigration policies, housing affordability, economic conditions and future migration trends.
One thing is clear: the Canary Islands are continuing to evolve, with an increasingly international population shaping the future of islands such as Lanzarote
