Spanish Population Dynamics: Growth, Distribution, and Migration
1. Population Distribution in Spain
1.1 A Historical Process: Densification and Depopulation
Spain’s population has experienced continuous growth since the 18th century, accelerating throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. This growth shifted from high mortality rates to strong population growth due to the decline of catastrophic deaths and infant mortality. A key characteristic of this growth has been its concentration in coastal areas, leading to depopulation of inland regions starting in the 17th century. While half of Spain’s population resided in the central plateau regions in the 16th century, only a quarter lives there today, with half concentrated in Madrid’s metropolitan area.
1.2 Densely Populated and Almost Uninhabited Areas
Population distribution in Spain is uneven, ranging from extremely high densities (over 500 inhabitants/km2) to very low densities (less than 20 inhabitants/km2). This concentration trend has intensified over the past 50 years. Five areas exhibit high population density:
- The mainland Mediterranean facade (Girona to Murcia, including the Balearic Islands)
- Western Andalusia (Seville, Cadiz, and Malaga)
- Madrid (metropolitan area)
- The Atlantic and Cantabrian coastline (Pontevedra to Gipuzkoa)
- The Canary Islands
Conversely, several areas are almost depopulated:
- Castilian and Aragonese provinces (Soria, Guadalajara, Cuenca, and Teruel)
- Pyrenees counties (Huesca and Teruel)
- Castile and Extremadura regions (along the Portuguese border)
These sparsely populated areas are generally mountainous, with aging populations and negative vegetative growth. They traditionally rely on the primary sector, but are increasingly shifting towards tertiary sector activities, particularly tourism.
1.3 Internal Population Movements
Spain’s current population distribution results from two major migration processes:
- Long-term depopulation of inland areas and population growth in coastal regions (over 300 years)
- Intense short-term movements between 1960 and 1975 due to economic development centered in cities
Major cities like Madrid, Bilbao, and Valencia attracted immigrants from rural provinces. This movement slowed down after 1975-1980, but the demographic decline of inland and mountainous areas continued due to youth outmigration, aging, and decreasing birth rates.
2. Population Dynamics
2.1 Weak Vegetative Growth
Spain’s vegetative growth is currently low, with a birth rate of 10.9% and a mortality rate of 8.5% in 2007, resulting in a 2.4% growth. While fertility has slightly increased since 1996 and mortality has slightly decreased, the latter remains relatively high due to population aging. The highest birth rates are found along the Mediterranean coast and southern Atlantic area, while high mortality rates due to aging occur in the northern provinces. One-third of Spanish provinces have negative natural increase. The causes of this weak growth are shared by developed countries:
- Low birth rate due to delayed childbearing
- Low fertility (below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman)
2.2 High Migration Growth
Until 1975, Spain was a country of emigration, primarily to the Americas. From 1960 to 1975, emigration shifted towards developed European countries. Since the late 20th century, Spain has become a recipient of immigrants due to economic growth and the demographic vacuum caused by declining birth rates. The main origins of immigrants are Latin America, Eastern Europe, developed EU countries, and Morocco. Since 2006, family reunification has become a significant source of immigration. Spain now has a similar immigrant population percentage as other European countries, and since 2000, it has been the EU country receiving the most immigrants.
2.3 Immigration’s Impact on Demographics
In 2008, 5.2 million immigrants lived in Spain, mainly concentrated on the Mediterranean coast, Balearic and Canary Islands, and Madrid. Immigration has significantly contributed to raising Spain’s birth rate and population growth, which were very low at the end of the 20th century. It has also led to population rejuvenation. Without immigration, Spain’s population would likely be declining, as seen in other European countries. Since 2000, 90% of Spain’s population growth has been due to immigration.