Demographics of Spain

As of 1 January 2020, Spain had a total population of 47,431,256, which represents a 0.9% increase since 2019.[1] The modern Kingdom of Spain results from the accretion of several independent Iberian realms, like León, Castile, Navarre, the Crown of Aragon, and Granada, among others.

Population density by municipality in Spain, 2018
Historical population
YearPop.±%
183312,286,941—    
184612,162,872−1.0%
185715,464,340+27.1%
187716,622,175+7.5%
188717,549,608+5.6%
190018,616,630+6.1%
191019,990,669+7.4%
192021,388,551+7.0%
193023,677,095+10.7%
194026,014,278+9.9%
195028,117,873+8.1%
196030,582,936+8.8%
197033,956,047+11.0%
198137,683,363+11.0%
199138,872,268+3.2%
200140,847,371+5.1%
201146,815,916+14.6%
202047,431,256+1.3%
Source: INE

Spain's population peaked in 2019, surpassing for the first time in history 47 million inhabitants. As of January 2020, there were already 47,431,256 people living in Spain.[2] Its population density, at 91.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (237/sq mi), is lower than other Western European countries yet, with the exception of microstates, it has the highest real density population in Europe, based on density of inhabited areas.[3] With the exception of the capital Madrid, the most densely populated areas lie around the coast.

The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century, but the pattern of growth was extremely uneven due to large-scale internal migration from the rural interior to the industrial cities. Eleven of Spain's fifty provinces saw an absolute decline in population over the century.

The last quarter of the century saw a dramatic fall in birth rates. Spain's fertility rate of 1.47 (the number of children the average woman will have during her lifetime) has climbed every year since the late 1990s. The birth rate has climbed in 10 years from 9.10 births per 1000 people per year in 1996 to 10.9 in 2006.

Immigration and Demographic Issues
Main article: Immigration to Spain
Immigration to Spain in 2002 by country.
Immigration to Spain in 2008 by country.

The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century as a result of the demographic boom in the 1960s and early 1970s. After that time, the birth rate fell during the 1980s and Spain's population became stalled.

Many demographers have linked Spain's very low fertility rate to the country's lack of a family support policy. Spain spends the least on family support out of all western European countries—0.5% of GDP. A graphic illustration of the enormous social gulf in this field is the fact that a Spanish family would need to have 57 children to enjoy the same financial support as a family with 3 children in Luxembourg.

In terms of emigration vs. immigration, after centuries of net emigration, Spain has experienced large-scale immigration for the first time in modern history. According to the Spanish government there were 5,730,667 foreign residents in Spain as of January 2011. Of these, more than 860,000 were Romanian, and half 760,000 were Moroccan while the number of Ecuadorians was around 390,000. Colombian population amounted to around 300,000. There are also a significant number of British (359,076 as of 2011, but more than one million are estimated to live permanently in Spain) and German (195,842) citizens, mainly in Alicante, Málaga provinces, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands. Chinese number over 166,000. Immigrants from several sub-Saharan African countries have also settled in Spain as contract workers, although they represent only 4.08% of all the foreign residents in the country.

During the early 2000s, the mean year-on-year demographic growth set a new record with its 2003 peak variation of 2.1%, doubling the previous record reached back in the 1960s when a mean year-on-year growth of 1% was experienced.[4] In 2005 alone, the immigrant population of Spain increased by 700,000 people.[5]

The arrival of migrating young adults was the main reason for the slight increase in Spain's fertility rate.[6] From 2002 through 2008 the Spanish population grew by 8%, of which 7% were foreign.[7]

Immigrants by country of birth as of 2019:[8]

Country Population
 Morocco 874,902
 Romania 585,493
 Venezuela 323,827
 Colombia 440,540
 Ecuador 408,241
 Peru 218,245
 Germany 167,771
 France 206,989
 United Kingdom 256,386
 China 202,093
 Argentina 268,292
 Dominican Republic 179,625
 Honduras 106,113
 Bolivia 174,801
 Cuba 151,423
 Bulgaria 113,668
 Italy 135,020
 Portugal 94,319
 Russia 91,864
 Ukraine 111,469
 Senegal 73,333
 Brazil 143,416
 Paraguay 97,695
 Pakistan 91,762
 Uruguay 78,195

Vital statistics

Notable events in modern Spanish demography:

  • Late 19th century and early 20th century: Relative economic stagnation and mass emigration to American countries.
  • 1918. Flu pandemic, over 200,000 dead in Spain.
  • 1936. Start of the Spanish Civil War.
  • 1939. End of the Civil War. Establishment of a Fascist dictatorship, Start of rationing policies. Deepening of economic depression, mass emigration to European and American countries due to economic and political motives (Republican exile).
  • 1941. Approval of benefits for large families, with at least four children.[9]
  • 1945. Establishment of tax deductions for parents.[10]
  • 1952. End of rationing policies.
  • 1975. End of the dictatorship, mass return of emigrated people.
  • 1977. Legalization of contraception. Decline of birth rates.
  • 1985. Legalization of abortion.
  • 1988. After centuries of outwards emigration, the first events of illegal immigration from Africa occur.[11]
  • 1991. Spain becomes a net receiver of immigrants, after decades of mass emigration.[12]
  • 1994. Lowering of threshold of requirements to become a large family, only three children needed.[9]
  • 2007. Approval of €2,500 benefit for births.
  • 2010. Legalization of abortion on demand.
  • 2011. Withdrawal of the €2,500 benefit for births.
  • 2015. First negative natural change since the Civil War due to the aging of Spanish population.

Life expectancy from 1882 to 2015

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.

1882-1950

Years 1882 1892 1900 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920[13]
Life expectancy in Spain 29.5 32.1 34.8 41.3 41.0 40.8 39.7 43.4 42.5 42.8 43.0 42.9 42.5 30.3 41.1 39.2
Years 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930[13]
Life expectancy in Spain 42.0 44.1 44.7 46.2 46.9 47.7 48.4 48.6 49.3 49.3
Years 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940[13]
Life expectancy in Spain 49.2 51.1 51.5 52.3 52.6 51.0 47.3 47.6 47.2 48.4
Years 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950[13]
Life expectancy in Spain 47.2 52.5 54.8 56.2 57.8 57.5 59.3 61.2 61.0 61.8

1950-2015

Period Life expectancy in
Years		 Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 64.6 1985–1990 76.9
1955–1960 67.8 1990–1995 77.6
1960–1965 69.9 1995–2000 78.8
1965–1970 71.4 2000–2005 79.9
1970–1975 72.7 2005–2010 81.2
1975–1980 74.4 2010–2015 82.5
1980–1985 76.1

Source: UN World Population Prospects[14]

Total Fertility Rate from 1850 to 1899

The total fertility rate is the number of children born per woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.[15]

Galician writer Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885) with her nuclear family at 1884. An average late-19th-century Spanish family size.
Years18501851185218531854185518561857185818591860[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Spain5.135.075.014.954.894.834.784.724.664.754.86
Years1861186218631864186518661867186818691870[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Spain5.165.0955.195.115.075.094.724.94.84
Years1871187218731874187518761877187818791880[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Spain4.834.834.824.814.84.794.784.784.744.7
Years1881188218831884188518861887188818891890[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Spain4.914.794.714.864.84.864.784.824.824.55
Years189118921893189418951896189718981899[15]
Total Fertility Rate in Spain4.674.714.714.64.634.754.514.414.53

Statistics since 1900
Spain total fertility rate by province (2014)
  1.5 - 1.7
  1.4 - 1.5
  1.3 - 1.4
  < 1.3
[16][17][15] Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Total fertility rates[fn 1][15]
1900 18,520,000 627,848 536,716 91,132 33.9 29.0 4.9 4.49
1901 18,610,000 650,649 517,575 133,074 35.0 27.8 7.1 4.71
1902 18,720,000 666,687 488,289 178,398 35.6 26.1 9.6 4.70
1903 18,810,000 685,265 470,387 214,878 36.4 25.0 11.4 4.68
1904 18,980,000 649,878 486,889 162,989 34.2 25.7 8.6 4.67
1905 19,110,000 670,651 491,369 179,282 35.1 25.7 9.4 4.66
1906 19,250,000 650,385 499,018 151,367 33.8 25.9 7.8 4.61
1907 19,380,000 646,371 472,007 174,364 33.3 24.4 9.0 4.57
1908 19,530,000 658,008 460,946 197,062 33.7 23.6 10.1 4.52
1909 19,670,000 650,498 466,648 183,850 33.1 23.7 9.3 4.48
1910 19,770,000 646,975 456,158 190,817 32.7 23.1 9.7 4.43
1911 19,950,000 628,443 466,525 161,918 31.5 23.4 8.1 4.39
1912 20,040,000 637,860 426,297 211,563 31.8 21.3 10.6 4.35
1913 20,170,000 617,850 449,349 168,501 30.6 22.3 8.4 4.30
1914 20,310,000 608,207 450,340 157,867 29.9 22.2 7.8 4.26
1915 20,430,000 631,462 452,479 178,983 30.9 22.1 8.8 4.22
1916 20,610,000 599,011 441,673 157,338 29.1 21.4 7.6 4.20
1917 20,740,000 602,139 465,722 136,417 29.0 22.5 6.6 4.19
1918 20,910,000 612,637 695,758 -83,121 29.3 33.3 -4.0 4.17
1919 21,000,000 585,963 482,752 103,211 27.9 23.0 4.9 4.16
1920 21,130,000 623,339 494,540 128,799 29.5 23.4 6.1 4.14
1921 21,270,000 648,892 455,469 193,423 30.5 21.4 9.1 4.08
1922 21,510,000 656,093 441,330 214,763 30.5 20.5 10.0 4.02
1923 21,740,000 662,576 449,683 212,893 30.5 20.7 9.8 4.02
1924 21,990,000 653,085 430,590 222,495 29.7 19.6 10.1 3.92
1925 22,160,000 644,741 432,400 212,341 29.1 19.5 9.6 3.82
1926 22,400,000 663,401 420,838 242,563 29.6 18.8 10.8 3.87
1927 22,610,000 636,028 419,816 216,212 28.1 18.6 9.6 3.70
1928 22,860,000 666,240 413,002 253,238 29.1 18.1 11.1 3.80
1929 23,120,000 653,668 407,486 246,182 28.3 17.6 10.7 3.69
1930 23,340,000 660,860 394,488 266,372 28.3 16.9 11.4 3.68
1931 23,510,000 649,276 408,977 240,299 27.6 17.4 10.2 3.58
1932 23,897,000 670,670 388,900 281,770 28.3 16.5 11.8 3.64
1933 24,122,000 667,866 394,750 273,116 27.9 16.5 11.4 3.59
1934 24,349,000 641,889 392,793 249,096 26.4 16.1 10.2 3.38
1935 24,578,000 636,725 388,757 247,968 25.9 15.8 10.1 3.31
1936 24,810,000 617,220 417,108 200,112 24.9 16.8 8.1 3.18
1937 25,043,000 568,977 475,310 93,667 22.7 19.0 3.7 2.89
1938 25,279,000 508,726 487,546 21,180 20.1 19.3 0.8 2.56
1939 25,517,000 422,345 472,611 -50,266 16.6 18.5 -2.0 2.12
1940 25,757,000 631,285 428,416 202,869 24.5 16.6 7.9 3.09
1941 25,999,000 511,157 487,748 23,409 19.7 18.8 0.9 2.47
1942 26,244,000 530,845 387,844 143,001 20.2 14.8 5.4 2.53
1943 26,491,000 606,971 352,587 254,384 22.9 13.3 9.6 2.88
1944 26,620,000 602,091 349,114 253,796 22.6 13.1 9.5 2.84
1945 26,770,000 621,558 330,581 290,977 23.2 12.3 10.9 2.91
1946 27,030,000 585,381 353,371 232,010 21.7 13.1 8.6 2.70
1947 27,150,000 588,732 330,341 258,391 21.7 12.2 9.5 2.67
1948 27,593,000 642,041 305,310 336,731 23.3 11.1 12.2 2.88
1949 27,811,000 601,759 321,541 280,218 21.6 11.6 10.1 2.68
1950 28,009,000 565,378 305,934 259,444 20.2 10.9 9.3 2.45
1951 28,236,000 567,474 327,236 240,238 20.1 11.6 8.5 2.47
1952 28,474,000 593,019 276,735 316,284 20.8 9.7 11.1 2.51
1953 28,713,000 589,188 278,522 310,666 20.5 9.7 10.8 2.55
1954 28,955,000 577,886 264,668 313,218 20.0 9.1 10.8 2.59
1955 29,199,000 598,970 274,188 324,782 20.5 9.4 11.1 2.62
1956 29,445,000 608,121 290,410 317,711 20.7 9.9 10.8 2.66
1957 29,693,000 646,784 293,502 353,282 21.8 9.9 11.9 2.69
1958 29,943,000 653,216 260,683 392,533 21.8 8.7 13.1 2.72
1959 30,195,000 654,474 269,591 384,883 21.7 8.9 12.7 2.74
1960 30,455,000 663,375 268,941 394,434 21.8 8.8 13.0 2.77
1961 30,744,000 654,616 263,441 391,175 21.3 8.6 12.7 2.79
1962 31,067,000 658,816 278,575 380,241 21.2 9.0 12.2 2.8
1963 31,393,000 671,520 282,460 389,060 21.4 9.0 12.4 2.88
1964 31,723,000 697,697 273,955 423,742 22.0 8.6 13.4 3.01
1965 32,056,000 676,361 274,271 402,090 21.1 8.6 12.5 2.94
1966 32,394,000 669,919 276,173 393,746 20.7 8.5 12.2 2.91
1967 32,734,000 680,125 280,494 399,631 20.8 8.6 12.2 2.85
1968 33,079,000 667,311 282,628 384,683 20.2 8.5 11.6 2.86
1969 33,427,000 666,568 303,402 363,166 19.9 9.1 10.9 2.87
1970 33,779,000 663,667 286,067 377,600 19.6 8.5 11.2 2.88
1971 34,216,000 672,092 308,516 363,576 19.7 9.0 10.6 2.88
1972 34,572,000 672,405 285,508 386,897 19.5 8.3 11.2 2.86
1973 34,921,000 672,963 301,803 371,160 19.3 8.7 10.7 2.84
1974 35,288,000 688,711 300,403 388,308 19.6 8.5 11.0 2.89
1975 35,688,000 669,378 298,192 371,186 18.8 8.4 10.5 2.75
1976 36,118,000 677,456 299,007 378,449 18.9 8.3 10.5 2.68
1977 36,564,000 656,357 294,324 362,033 18.1 8.1 10.0 2.59
1978 36,741,000 636,892 296,781 340,111 17.3 8.1 9.2 2.48
1979 37,289,000 601,992 291,213 310,779 16.2 7.8 8.4 2.36
1980 37,527,000 571,018 289,344 281,674 15.2 7.7 7.5 2.22
1981 37,741,000 533,008 293,386 239,622 14.1 7.8 6.3 2.09
1982 37,942,000 515,706 286,655 229,051 13.6 7.6 6.0 1.96
1983 38,122,000 485,352 302,569 182,783 12.7 7.9 4.8 1.84
1984 38,279,000 473,281 299,409 173,872 12.4 7.8 4.5 1.73
1985 38,419,000 456,298 312,532 143,766 11.9 8.1 3.7 1.64
1986 38,536,000 438,750 310,413 128,337 11.4 8.1 3.3 1.56
1987 38,631,000 426,782 310,073 116,709 11.0 8.0 3.0 1.50
1988 38,716,000 418,919 319,437 99,482 10.8 8.3 2.6 1.45
1989 38,792,000 408,434 324,796 83,638 10.5 8.4 2.2 1.40
1990 38,851,000 401,425 333,142 68,283 10.3 8.6 1.8 1.36
1991 38,940,000 395,989 337,691 58,298 10.2 8.7 1.5 1.33
1992 39,068,000 396,747 331,515 65,232 10.2 8.5 1.7 1.32
1993 39,190,000 385,786 339,661 46,125 9.8 8.7 1.2 1.26
1994 39,295,000 370,148 338,242 31,906 9.4 8.6 0.8 1.21
1995 39,387,000 363,469 346,227 17,242 9.2 8.8 0.4 1.18
1996 39,478,000 362,626 351,449 11,177 9.2 8.9 0.3 1.17
1997 39,582,000 369,035 349,521 19,514 9.3 8.8 0.5 1.19
1998 39,721,000 365,193 360,511 4,682 9.2 9.1 0.1 1.15
1999 39,927,000 380,130 371,102 9,028 9.5 9.3 0.2 1.20
2000 40,264,000 397,632 360,391 37,241 9.9 9.0 0.9 1.23
2001 40,476,000 406,380 360,131 46,249 10.0 8.8 1.1 1.24
2002 41,035,000 418,846 368,618 50,228 10.1 8.9 1.2 1.26
2003 41,827,000 441,881 384,828 57,053 10.5 9.2 1.4 1.31
2004 42,547,000 454,591 371,934 82,657 10.6 8.7 1.9 1.33
2005 43,296,000 466,371 387,355 79,016 10.7 8.9 1.8 1.35
2006 44,009,000 482,957 371,478 111,479 10.9 8.4 2.5 1.36
2007 44,784,000 492,527 385,361 107,166 10.9 8.5 2.4 1.40
2008 45,668,000 519,779 386,324 133,455 11.4 8.4 3.0 1.46
2009 46,239,000 494,997 384,933 110,064 10.7 8.3 2.4 1.39
2010 46,486,000 486,575 382,047 104,528 10.5 8.2 2.3 1.38
2011 46,667,000 471,999 387,911 84,088 10.2 8.3 1.9 1.34
2012 46,818,216 454,648 402,950 51,698 9.7 8.6 1.1 1.32
2013 46,727,890 425,715 390,419 35,296 9.1 8.3 0.8 1.27
2014 46,512,199 427,595 395,830 31,765 9.1 8.5 0.6 1.32
2015 46,449,565 420,290 422,568 -2,278 9.0 9.1 -0.1 1.33
2016 46,440,099 410,583 410,611 -28 8.8 8.8 0.0 1.34
2017 46,527,039 393,181 424,523 -31,342 8.4 9.1 -0.7 1.31
2018 46,658,447 372,777 427,721 -54,944 7.9 9.1 -1.2 1.26
2019†[18] 46,937,060 360,617 418,703 -58,086 7.6 8.8 -1.2 1.24
2020†[19] 47,329,981

† = as of 1 January 2019 and 2020.

Current vital statistics

[20]

  • Births January–June 2019 = 175,429
  • Births January–June 2020 = 168,047
  • Deaths January–June 2019 = 219,350
  • Deaths January–June 2020 = 262,373
  • Natural increase January–June 2019 = -43,921
  • Natural increase January–June 2020 = -94,326

The sharp increase in the number on deaths during the first semester of 2020 was due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 279,639 (77.7%) babies were born to mothers with Spanish nationality, 28,467 (7.9%) to mothers with an African nationality (including North Africa), 22,257 (6.2%) to mothers with an American nationality (both North and South America), 22,101 (6.1%) to mothers with a European nationality (both EU and non-EU countries of Europe), and 7,171 (2%) to mothers with an Asian nationality.

Other demographic statistics
Population pyramid of Spain in 1900
Demographic evolution of Spain 1950-2014

The following demographic statistics are from the World Population Review in 2019.[21]

  • One birth every minute
  • One death every minute
  • Net gain of one person every 131 minutes
  • One net migrant every 13 minutes

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[22]

Population
46.723 million (Jan 2018 est.)[23]
Population pyramid of Spain in 2017
Birth and death rates and natural changes of Spain in 1950–2012.
Demographic evolution of Spain during the twentieth century
Age structure

0-14 years: 15.02% (male 3,861,522/female 3,650,085)
15-24 years: 9.9% (male 2,557,504/female 2,392,498)
25-54 years: 43.61% (male 11,134,006/female 10,675,873)
55-64 years: 12.99% (male 3,177,080/female 3,319,823)
65 years and over: 18.49% (male 3,970,417/female 5,276,984) (2020 est.)

0-14 years: 15.3% (male 3,872,763/female 3,656,549)
15-24 years: 9.5% (male 2,424,352/female 2,267,429)
25-54 years: 44.9% (male 11,214,102/female 10,775,039)
54-64 years: 12.1% (male 2,899,088/female 3,044,111)
65 years and over: 17.9% (male 3,763,989/female 5,040,737) (2017 est.)

0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,423,861/female 3,232,028)
15-64 years: 69.1% (male 16,185,575/female 15,683,433)
65 years and over: 16.5% (male 3,238,301/female 4,394,624) (2008 est.)

Median age
total: 43.9 years. Country comparison to the world: 21st
male: 42.7 years
female: 45.1 years (2020 est.)
total: 42.7 years
male: 41.5 years
female: 43.9 years (2017 est.)
Birth rate
8.05 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 212th
9.2 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Death rate
9.78 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 55th
Total fertility rate
1.51 children born/woman (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 207th
Net migration rate
1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 11th
7.8 current migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.03% (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 143th
0.78% (2017 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
30.9 years (2017 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 82.21 years. Country comparison to the world: 29nd
male: 79.22 years
female: 85.39 years (2021 est.)
Infant mortality rate
3.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.). Country comparison to the world: 216th
Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2018 est.)

total population: 98.4%
male: 98.9%
female: 98.0%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 18 years
male: 17 years
female: 18 years (2018)
Unemployment, youth ages 15–24
total: 34.3%. Country comparison to the world: 24th
male: 35.2%
female: 33.3% (2018 est.)
Nationality
See also : Nationalities and regions of Spain

noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish

Metropolitan areas

The largest metropolitan areas in 2007 were:[24]

Main metropolitan areas in Spain (2018)
  1. Madrid 6,489,162
  2. Barcelona 5,375,774
  3. Valencia 1,705,742
  4. Seville 1,519,639
  5. Bilbao 950,155
  6. Málaga 897,563
  7. Asturias (Gijón–Oviedo–Avilés) 857,079
  8. Alicante–Elche 748,565
  9. Zaragoza 731,803
  10. Vigo - Pontevedra 662,412
  11. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 616,903
  12. Bahía de Cádiz (Cádiz–Jerez de la Frontera) 615,494
  13. Santa Cruz de Tenerife 573,825
  14. Murcia 563,272
  15. Palma de Mallorca 474,035
  16. Granada 472,638
  17. San Sebastián 402,168
  18. Tarragona 406,042
  19. A Coruña 403,007
  20. Valladolid 400,400
  21. Santander–Torrelavega 391,480
  22. Córdoba 323,600
  23. Pamplona 309,631

Islands

Islander population:[25]

  1. Tenerife 886,033
  2. Majorca 846,210
  3. Gran Canaria 829,597
  4. Lanzarote 132,366
  5. Ibiza 113,908
  6. Fuerteventura 94,386
  7. Menorca 86,697
  8. La Palma 85,933
  9. La Gomera 22,259
  10. El Hierro 10,558
  11. Formentera 7,957
  12. Arousa 4,889
  13. La Graciosa 658
  14. Tabarca 105
  15. Ons 61

Ethnic groups
Main articles: Spanish people and National and regional identity in Spain

Definition of ethnicity or nationality in Spain is fraught politically. The term "Spanish people" (pueblo español) is defined in the 1978 constitution as the political sovereign, i.e. the citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. The same constitution in its preamble speaks of "peoples and nationalities of Spain" (pueblos y nacionalidades de España) and their respective cultures, traditions, languages and institutions. The formerly nomadic Gitanos and Mercheros are distinctly marked by endogamy and discrimination but they are dispersed through the country.

The native Canarians are partly the descendants of the North African population of the Canary Islands prior to Spanish colonization in the 15th century although many Spaniards have varying levels of North African admixture as a result of the Islamic period. Also included are many Spaniard citizens who are descendants of people from Spain's former colonies, mostly from Equatorial Guinea, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Morocco and the Philippines. There is also a sizable number of Spaniards of Eastern European, Maghrebian, Sub Saharan-African, South Asian and Middle Eastern descent.[26]

As of 2019, native-born Spanish citizens of all ethnic groups make up 84.6% of the total population, and 15.4% are immigrants, both naturalized and foreign. Among the immigrants, around 45% of them come from Spain's former territories in America (primarily Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia). The rest are predominantly North African, Eastern European and Western European.

Foreign population

As of 2018, the region had a foreign population of 4,734,691.[27] The largest groups of foreigners were those of Moroccan, Romanian, British, Chinese and Italian citizenship.[27] Meanwhile, Spain had a foreign-born population of 6,742,948, being those born in the Americas the largest group, and Europe being the second most common continent of origin after South America.[28]

Religions
Main article: Religion in Spain

Religion in Spain (CIS poll, December 2020) [29]

  Non-practicing Catholic (41.6%)
  Practicing Catholic (20.1%)
  Agnostic/Non-believer (20.8%)
  Atheist (13.6%)
  Other denominations and religions (2.7%)
  Did not answer (1.2%)

The Reconquista was the long process by which the Catholics reconquered Spain from Islamic rule by 1492. The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 to complete the religious orthodoxy of the Iberian Peninsula. In the centuries that followed, Spain saw itself as the bulwark of Catholicism and doctrinal purity, since them Catholicism has been the main religion in Spain.[30][31]

Spanish missionaries carried Catholicism to the Americas and the Philippines, establishing various missions in the newly colonized lands. The missions served as a base for both administering colonies as well as spreading Christianity.[32][33][34]

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 abolished Catholicism as the official state religion, but recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society.[35] From the end of the Francoist dictatorship to the present day, a secularization process has taken place that has meant a progressive decrease in religious practice, in the attendance at the different religious rites (baptisms, communions and Catholic marriages) and in the percentage of Spaniards who identify as Catholic,[36] Consequently, a majority of Spaniards today ignore Catholic doctrines on matters such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality and contraception.[37][38] Despite the drop, Catholic identity nevertheless remains an important part of Spain's culture.[36]

As of 2018, 68.5% of the population define themselves as Catholic, 26.4% as non-believers or atheists, and 2.6% other religions according to the official Spanish Center for Sociological Research.[39] Among believers, 59% assert they almost never go to any religious service, by contrast, 16.3% attend one or more religious service almost every week.[39][40]

A study made by the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain demonstrated that there were about 1,700,000 inhabitants of Muslim background living in Spain as of 2012, accounting for 3–4% of the total population of Spain. The vast majority was composed of immigrants and descendants originating from Morocco and other African countries. More than 514,000 (30%) of them had Spanish nationality.[41]

Languages

Others with no official status:

Literacy

Definition: people of age 15 and over can read and write. Amount of population ≥ 15 that can read and write: 97.7%.

Educational system

About 70% of Spain's student population attends public schools or universities. The remainder attend private schools or universities, many of which are operated by the Catholic Church.

Compulsory education begins with primary school or general basic education for ages 6–16. It is free in public schools and in many private schools, most of which receive government subsidies. Following graduation, students attend either a secondary school offering a general high school diploma or a school of professional study in all fields – law, sciences, humanities, and medicine – and the technical schools offer programs in engineering and architecture.

Notes
  1. In fertility rates, 2.1 and above is a stable population and has been marked blue, 2 and below leads to an aging population and the result is that the population decreases.

See also

References
  1. https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177012&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254734710990d%5B%5D
  2. Instituto Nacional de Estadística (29 June 2020). "Estadística del Padrón Continuo". Spain.
  3. https://citymonitor.ai/fabric/these-maps-reveal-truth-about-population-density-across-europe-3625
  4. Official report on Spanish recent Macroeconomics, including data and comments on immigration Archived 26 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Evolution of the foreign population in Spain since 1998 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Evolution of the global fertility rate between 1975 and 2005
  7. ABC. "El 75% de los nuevos habitantes de España es extranjero, según un estudio - Nacional_Sociedad - Nacional - ABC.es". ABC.
  8. https://www.ine.es/jaxi/Datos.htm?path=/t20/e245/p08/l0/&file=01006.px#!tabs-tabla
  9. La evolución de las familias numerosas (Spanish)
  10. Fernández, Celia Valiente. "Forgetting the past: The familiar policy of Spain (1975-1996)" (PDF). Charles III University of Madrid.
  11. The first 'patera' arrived to Canary Islands 20 years ago - Público newspaper (Spanish)
  12. "Saldo migratorio en España desde 1940 / Net migration in Spain since 1940". 7 July 2014.
  13. "Life expectancy". Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  14. "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  15. Max Roser (2014), "Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries", Our World In Data, Gapminder Foundation, archived from the original on 7 August 2018, retrieved 7 August 2018
  16. "Fondo documental. Historia". www.ine.es.
  17. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística Vital Statistics". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  18. "Basic Demographic Indicators Year 2019. Provisional data" (PDF).
  19. "Population Figures at 1 January 2020" (PDF).
  20. "Estadísticas del Movimiento Natural de la Población (MNP) – Nacimientos, Defunciones y Matrimonios – Primer semestre de 2020. Datos provisionales" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estadística - INE. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  21. World Population Review: Spain Population 2018, 14 June 2018
  22. "World Factbook EUROPE : SPAIN", The World Factbook, 3 February 2021
  23. http://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736177012&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254734710990
  24. "AUDES project". Grupo Alarcos. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  25. La superficie de las islas vendrá dada en hectáreas salvo la de las mayores islas de los archipiélagos canario y balear, así como las Plazas de Soberanía.
  26. "Ethnic Groups in Spain | Study.com". Study.com. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  27. "Población extranjera por Nacionalidad, comunidades, Sexo y Año". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  28. "Población (españoles/extranjeros) por país de nacimiento y sexo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  29. Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas: Barómetro de Diciembre 2020, página 30.¿Cómo se define Ud. en materia religiosa: católico/a practicante, católico/a no practicante, creyente de otra religión, agnóstico/a, indiferente o no creyente, o ateo/a?
  30. Juergensmeyer, Mark; Roof, Wade Clark (2011). Encyclopedia of Global Religion. SAGE Publications. p. 1214. ISBN 9781452266565.
    • Payne, Stanley G. Spanish Catholicism: An Historical Overview (1984)
  32. Laicidad and Religious Diversity in Latin America. Springer. 2016. p. 10. ISBN 9783319447452.
  33. Cornelio, Jayeel Serrano (2016). Being Catholic in the Contemporary Philippines: Young People Reinterpreting Religion. Routledge. ISBN 9781317621966.
  34. Tarver Ph.D., H. Micheal; Slape, Emily (2016). The Spanish Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 198. ISBN 9781610694223.
  35. "Spanish Constitution". Sections 14, 16 & 27.3, Constitution of 29 December 1978 (PDF). Retrieved 5 March 2018. No religion shall have a state character. The public authorities shall take into account the religious beliefs of Spanish society and shall consequently maintain appropriate cooperation relations with the Catholic Church and other confessions.
  36. A. Santos (2012). Social Movements and Sexual Citizenship in Southern Europe. Springer. ISBN 9781137296405.
  37. Tarvainen, Sinikka (26 September 2004). "Reforms anger Spanish church". Dawn International. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  38. "Zapatero accused of rejecting religion". Worldwide Religious News. 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  39. Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Centre for Sociological Research) (January 2018). "Barómetro de enero de 2018" (in Spanish). p. 19. Archived from os.cis.es/pdf/Es3187sd_A.pdf the original Check |url= value (help) (PDF) on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  40. "Eurobarometer 69 - Values of Europeans. p.16" (PDF). Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  41. "Explotación estadística del censo de ciudadanos musulmanes en España referido a fecha 31/12/2012" (PDF). Unión de Comunidades Islámicas de España: 6–9. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2013.
  42. "Europeans and their languages" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. European Commission. February 2006.
  43. "Spain".
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