13,321 more persons came to than left the A.C. of the Basque Country during 2005, which represents a 47.6% increase in the migratory balance with regard to 2004, according to Eustat data. In addition, 9.1% of the Basque population changed residence in 2005, mobility being within the A.C. of the Basque Country in 71.7% of all cases, while the rest were extra-community movements.

This was the sixth consecutive year in which the migratory balance was positive for the Community. By provinces, Bizkaia, with a gain of 7,422 persons, presented the highest migratory balance in absolute figures and increased by 41% with regard to 2004. Gipuzkoa, with a gain of 2,880 persons, increased fourfold with regard to the previous year. In turn, Álava gained 3,020 persons, which represents a 5% decrease in relation to the balance the year before.

Graph 1.- Evolution of the migratory balance by Province

Source: Eustat

Positive migratory balance due to arrival of people from abroad

If we take into account only movement between the A.C. of the Basque Country and other autonomous communities, 740 persons more than the previous year arrived in 2005, which represents an increase of 4.4%. Therefore, the migratory balance between the A.C. of the Basque Country and other autonomous communities continues to be negative, with a loss of 1,497 persons. On the other hand, the migratory balance for persons from foreign countries is positive, with 14,818 persons more, a figure which represents a 27% increase with regard to the previous year.

Altogether, 192,710 changes of usual residence were registered in the A.C. of the Basque Country:

- Of this figure, exactly 92,797 correspond to changes of address within the same municipality.

- Intra-community mobility, i.e. when the origin and destination are different municipalities in the A.C. of the Basque Country, came to 45,248 movements.

- In addition, 33.993 external or extra-community immigrations were registered, where the origin was outside the Community and the destination is the A.C. of the Basque Country.

- Finally, there were 20,672 external or extra-community emigrations, i.e. variations in residence with the origin in a municipality in the autonomous community and with a destination outside.

Table 1.- Evolution migratory of movements and balances. A.C. of the Basque Country

Source: EUSTAT

Geographic mobility and the emigration rate of the A.C. of the Basque Country are low with regard to the state average

External or extra-community geographic mobility, which affected 25.7 in every thousand inhabitants of the A.C. of the Basque Country during 2005 (Álava 32.8‰, Bizkaia 26.8‰ and Gipuzkoa 21‰), is relatively low if compared with the rest of the autonomous communities, where 43 in every thousand inhabitants move home.

The emigration rate of the A.C. of the Basque Country indicated that ten in every thousand inhabitants emigrated in 2005, but if we exclude data for foreign emigrations it falls to 9‰, almost four points below the average for the whole of the autonomous communities. Ranked above average, the communities of Castile and León, Madrid, La Rioja, Baleares and Ceuta-Melilla surpass the A.C. of the Basque Country with rates that vary between 15‰ and 38‰.

The autonomous communities that contribute more population to the A.C. of the Basque Country than they receive are the Catalonia, Madrid, Canaries and Baleares. There is also a positive balance of 14,818 persons in relation to foreign countries in 2005.

The autonomous communities that are a pole of attraction for emigrants from the A.C. of the Basque Country are in the following order: Cantabria, Castile and León, Catalonia, Madrid and Navarre. Between the five of them they receive half the people who leave our Community.

Immigration of people with foreign nationality came to 19,877 persons in 2005, which represents 58% of the total entries in our Community. Since 2000, when positive migratory balances were registered once again, there has been a considerable increase in the volume of foreign nationality immigrant entries registered in the A.C. of the Basque Country. In absolute values, the figure has risen from 7,328 entries to around 20,000 in 2005, i.e. foreign immigration has multiplied threefold over the last five years. We must bear in mind that part of the foreign immigration comes from other autonomous communities. This occurred in precisely 5,093 cases in 2005.

With regard to the level of qualifications, the lowest levels represent 51.1% in immigrations and 50 in emigrations, while higher levels represent 19.8% in emigrations and 19.1% in immigrations.

The average age of emigrants, 35.7 years, is very similar to immigrants, 31.4 years.