They speak a language known as Romany. No one knows how many gypsies there are, in Spain or in general. Estimates of the Spanish Gypsy population range from 50,000 to as high as 450,000.
Correct estimates are difficult because of the nomadic lifestyle they live.
These groups are divided into subgroups classified by social class and culture. In the late 1980s, the gitanos mainly lived in southern and central Spain. Many of them worked as street vendors or entertainers. Although poor and illiterate, they were well spread out through the Spanish society. The hungaros, however, are poorer than the gitanos and lived an entirely nomadic lifestyle.