Spain Population rises 0.4 percent to about 47 mln, 12 pct foreign

Of the total, 5,708,904 were foreigners, ie 12.2 percent of total enrolled in the population census, a figure which increased by 1.1 percent between January 1 2009 and 1 January 2010, he said.

The 49.4 percent of total registered voters are male and 50.6 percent female. Among the more people Spanish female, with 51 percent, while among the foreign male dominated, with 52.5 percent.

For ages, the 15.6 percent of the population is under 16 years, 42.6 percent are between 16 and 44 years and 41.8 percent have 45 or more years.

By nationality, there is a big difference in the age group 16 to 44 years, since while the Spanish registered in this age group accounted for 39.9 percent of the total, in the case of foreigners rises to 62 percent.

Among the foreigners, most from one of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), 41.1 percent of the total of 5.7 billion, especially Romanians (829 715), followed by UK (387 226) and Germans (195 579).

South Americans represent 2.6 percent of all foreigners and Africans 18.4 percent, according to the census.

Moroccan citizens (746 760), Ecuadorians (395,069) and Colombians (289 296) are the most numerous non-EU foreigners.

The number of Romanians experienced the highest growth in absolute terms during 2009, an increase of 30 823, followed by Moroccans (28 705 more), Britain (11 523) and Chinese (9128) .

Instead, the greatest declines were found among the citizens of Ecuador (26 357 less), Bolivia (20 079) and Argentina (11 713).

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The proportion of women is higher in Latin American nationalities. However, there are more men in most African and Asian nationalities.

In relative terms the largest increases were registered foreign population in the autonomous cities of Melilla (16.8 percent ) and Ceuta (12.5 percent) and in the Basque Country (4.8 percent). The largest reductions occurred in La Rioja (-1.3 percent) and Comunidad Valenciana (-0.5 percent).

Data provided by the National Institute of Statistics are provisional advance.

Final figures will be high on the Government by the end of the year for approval by royal decree and then be published in the Gazette.

(Reporting by Teresa Larraz; Edition Inmaculada Sanz in Madrid)