Spain continues to be on the forefront of irregular migration to Europe, as record-breaking numbers of people reached the Canary Islands archipelago in 2024. At least 46,843 people have made the dangerous crossing from the African mainland to the island group, surpassing previous years.
In January 2024, Tenerife's population counted 959 189 inhabitants, of which 469 351 are men and 489 838 women. Out of the total, 75.23% of its inhabitants are Spanish from birth, with 67.28% born on the Canary Islands and 7.95% born in another Spanish territory. Out of the total, 24.7% were born abroad.
This year El Hierro, which accepts no direct flights from outside the archipelago, has received half of all irregular migrant arrivals in the Canaries, an autonomous region of Spain.
Migrants often travel more than 1,000 miles by sea to reach the Canary Islands. Senegal and Mauritania are two of the most common launching points for migrants, who come from a number of countries in the African continent to escape armed conflict, poverty, or lack of opportunity.
The islands population does not hate tourists, but in fact what the islands have become due to over saturation of tourism. Something the late César Manrique warned about before his untimely death back in 1992 where he stated that the Canarians should not become slaves to the Tourist industry. This is their home.
The Western African route refers to irregular arrivals in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. Migrants depart mainly from Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia and embark on dangerous journeys along the West African coast to reach the Canary Islands.
For luxury holidays look no further than the upmarket resort of Costa Adeje, where designer shops, tempting restaurants and sophisticated nightlife take centre stage. North Tenerife offers a whole bag of treasures waiting to be explored.
The most popular destination in the UK among migrants is London. Based on UK census data from 2021 (2022 in Scotland), London emerges as the most popular destination for migrants (Figure 1).
The Guanches were the indigenous inhabitants of the Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean some 100 kilometres (60 mi) to the west of modern Morocco and the North African coast.
The Muslim communities were definitively established in the Canary Islands on Tenerife and Gran Canaria between the 19th and 20th centuries, later on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, and still later on La Palma.
Can you still move to Spain after Brexit? Yes, you can – but you'll have to follow a new set of rules. Britain is now treated as a “third country” when it comes to moving to somewhere in the EU, which means that the process is a little more complicated than before.
The protest was clearly aimed at the unsustainable mass-tourism crisis which the Canarian government, island council and certain town halls are responsible for.” More than 100,000 homes in the Canaries are owned by companies and large-scale property speculators.
Data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute show that 22.8% of people living in the Canaries are at risk of poverty, the highest in any Spanish region aside from Andalucia.
UK holidaymakers are pledging to never visit Tenerife again following "bizarre" conduct that's become more common across the island's hotels. British tourists on social media have expressed their shock at the extraordinary measures some guests are taking to secure sunbeds.
Squatters have taken over a hotel in Spain and are now illegally subletting it, according to the enraged owners. Since February 17 as many as 200 people have been living in the Callao Sport Hotel in Tenerife.
The East of England and the North West each had 8% of the total population. The part of the UK with the lowest percentage of immigrants, meanwhile, was Northern Ireland, with only 1% of the total immigrant population.
By its nature the UK's informal economy provides potential opportunities for asylum seekers - and other irregular migrants - to work illegally - and the UK government has accepted the need for more enforcement in this area.
London has the largest proportion of migrants among UK regions, with over 40% of its residents born abroad. Migrants are much more concentrated in some parts of the UK than others. Around 47% of all foreign-born residents in the UK lived in London and the South East at the time of the 2021/22 Census.
What is the best part of Tenerife to stay in? The best areas to stay in Tenerife are Costa Adeje for luxury resorts and beaches, Los Cristianos for a lively atmosphere, and Puerto de la Cruz for a more authentic, laid-back experience with scenic views. Each offers a unique holiday vibe catering to different tastes.
The most budget-friendly islands in the Canaries are actually the biggest and most popular. Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura all offer plenty of good-value package holiday deals and have a wider range of accommodation options than their smaller neighbours.
And while Tenerife and Lanzarote are the ones usually stealing the spotlight, there is only one Canary island they call "la Isla Bonita" (The Beautiful Island)—La Palma. With lush greenery, stunning volcanic landscapes, and quaint villages, La Palma is arguably the fairest island of them all.
In El Hierro, the archipelago's smallest island, the number of migrants who have arrived since the start of 2023 has already more than doubled the local population to nearly 30,000.
What is the immigration crisis in the Canary Islands?
From January 1st to August 29th of this year, 19,035 illegal immigrants have reached the shores of the Canary Islands, and 11 boats have been shipwrecked, with 262 dead and 490 dying in their desperate attempt to enter Europe.
Canary Islanders, or Canarians (Spanish: canarios), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa.
