Brussels, 01/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - Since 1997, Spain has been the EU's top receiving state in terms of immigration. The EU's statistical office, Eurostat's migratory balances show that over the period 2001-2005, the number of immigrants to Spain grew by almost 3 million. Spain's position has been strengthened with a positive migratory balance of 652,300 immigrants last year, 35.5% of the total increase (1,691,500) of the number of immigrants into the EU25 in 2005. At some distance behind Spain come Italy (391,000), the United Kingdom (196,000), France (102,000) and Germany (98,000). This unprecedented immigration can be explained by the general good health of the Spanish economy and also by the more than 600,000 illegal immigrants granted residence permits by the Zapatero government. At the other end of the scale, not since 1954 have the Netherlands recorded such great emigration. In 2005, 110,250 residents, half of whom were of Dutch origin, left the country, while 91,000 new immigrants moved in.