There has been a significant increase of Ukrainian residents in Torrevieja, meaning that for the first time in history, this is the largest expat population – followed by Russians and Brits. According to data from the Department of Census and Statistics, Ukrainian citizens have gone from 3,203 to 5,771. This is the first time that the British have relinquished the top spot in the new year poll for more than two decades, with numbers slipping from 5,236 in January last year to 4,815 at the beginning of 2023, according to council figures.