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Number of immigrants to Mallorca fell in 2011
Many South American's who came to Mallorca to work have now returned home
The number of foreign nationals living in Mallorca and the Balearics declined in 2011 as around 5000 South American immigrants left the Balearic Islands, according to the National Institute of Statistics. This trend is expected to continue into 2012.
There are now 674 fewer foreigners on the islands than a year ago.
Spain's financial crisis has been particularly tough on South American immigrants. Many South Americans emigrated to Mallorca for work but now find the job market is too thin. Without work, they have started returning to their home countries.
Immigrants from Ecuador are those who have been returning in greatest numbers as there are now 1551 less Ecuadorians than last year compared to 803 Columbians who have left. There has been an 8.54% decrease in the number of South American immigrants in the Balearics since last year.
The number of European immigrants has remained steady but does not make up for the loss of South Americans.
The number of African immigration is also maintained, particularly those from Morocco and Algeria, however, there was a drop in the number of Africans from Nigeria and Mali coming to the islands.
Chinese immigrants are still coming to Mallorca and they now number at 4621. The number of immigrants from India and Pakistan has been growing the most with 946 and 1741 immigrants respectively. This is a 29% increase from the previous year.
