Xàbia : Facts and Anecdotes - Did you know ...that in 1960 the population of Xàbia was only around 6000 inhabitants ?

Precise statistics on demography are only available since 1857, so the earlier centuries´ population count is only approximate. In Moorish times there was no urban nucleus and Xàbia consisted of little „alquerias“ (clusters of houses) „in valle yxabee“ (in the valley of Xàbia - quotation from a document written in 1258 ). After the moors were subjugated in 1244 the Valencian coast was exposed for centuries to attacks by pirates and Berber corsairs coming from the Kingdom of Granada and the Maghreb. There was a great need for protection. So in the 14th century a tower with fortifications was built. This was extended over time to become the fortress-church of San Bartolomeu .These 14th C. fortifications were the beginning of a nucleus which grew over the centuries to become the town we know today. In the 16th and 17th centuries the population seems to have grown from approximately 1000 to 2000 inhabitants. The population continued growing so that by the end of the 18th century it was over 3000. By the 1860s, there were already around 6000 inhabitants and it remained in that range for a hundred years. 

The population count started to rise more rapidly when tourism discovered Xàbia in the 1980s. From about 10.000 then, it rose every year until 2013 when the maximum count was 33.000. Since then it has gradually reduced. Today we are almost 28.000. What is interesting is that the population is almost equal in both sexes : there are only nine more women than men !! And by the way, we have six people a hundred years old and older, four women and two men !

The proportion of foreign residents living in Xàbia is an incredible 43%  i.e. 12.000 inhabitants. The British make up the greatest group of 4.500 ( despite BREXIT !), followed by the Germans and the Moroccans.

Today, cosmopolitan Xàbia shows how open-minded and welcoming it can be, and is an example of how harmoniously the peoples of the world can live together.
​