Demographics of Spain explained

Life expectancy

See also: List of Spanish provinces by life expectancy.

1882–1950

Sources: Our World In Data and the United Nations.

1950–2015

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

Crude death rate

Fertility

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.

Crude birth rate

Total fertility rate

1.16 children born/woman (2022)^[17] Country comparison to the world: 207th

Mother's mean age at first birth

30.9 years (2017 est.)

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.)

Median age:

total: 43.9 years. Country comparison to the world: 21st

male: 42.7 years

female: 45.1 years (2020 est.)

Vital statistics

Statistics since 1900

In 2021 264,897 (78.6%) babies were born to mothers with Spanish nationality (including naturalized immigrants), 23,704 (7%) to mothers with an African nationality (including North Africa), 21,769 (6.5%) to mothers with an American nationality (both North and South America), 19,903 (5.9%) to mothers with a European nationality (both EU and non-EU countries of Europe), and 6,393 (1.9%) to mothers with an Asian nationality.^[21] In 2022 the share of births to foreign mothers increased to 23 percent.^[22]

Current vital statistics

^{[23] [24]}

Structure of the population

Employment and income

Youth unemployment, ages 15–24:As of April 2024:^[25]

Metropolitan areas

Islands

Islander population (The surface of the islands will be given in hectares except for the largest islands of the Canary and Balearic archipelagos, as well as the Plazas de Soberanía.):

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

See main article: Spanish people and National and regional identity in Spain. The Spanish Constitution of 1978, in its second article, generically recognises contemporary entities—nationalities and regions— within the context of the Spanish nation.

Spain has been described as a de facto plurinational state.^{[26] [27]} The identity of Spain rather accrues of an overlap of different territorial and ethnolinguistic identities than of a sole Spanish identity. In some cases some of the territorial identities may conflict with the dominant Spanish culture. Distinct traditional identities within Spain include the Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Andalusians and Valencians,^[28] although to some extent all of the 17 autonomous communities may claim a distinct local identity.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 Spanish citizens who are descendants of people from Spain's former colonies, mostly from Venezuela, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Morocco and Cuba. There is also a sizable number of Spaniards of Eastern European, Maghrebian, Sub Saharan-African, Indian subcontinent and Middle Eastern descent.^[29]

The arrival of the gitanos (Spanish for "gypsies"), a Romani people, began in the 16th century; estimates of the Spanish Roma population range from 750,000 to over one million.^{[30] [31] [32] [33] [34]} There are also the mercheros (also called quinquis), a formerly nomadic minority group. Their origin is unclear.

Historically, Sephardic Jews and Moriscos are the main minority groups originating in Spain and with a contribution to Spanish culture.^[35] The Spanish government formerly offered Spanish citizenship to Sephardic Jews.^[36]

Immigration

See main article: Immigration to Spain. In terms of emigration vs. immigration, after decades of net emigration after the Spanish Civil War, Spain has experienced massive large-scale immigration for the first time in modern history over the past 30 years. As of 2024, there were 8,915,831 foreign-born people in Spain, making up to 18.31% of the Spanish population^[37] Of these, 6,581,028 (13.51%) didn't have Spanish citizenship.^{[38] [39]} This makes Spain one of the world's preferred destinations to immigrate to, being the 4th country in Europe by immigration numbers and the 10th worldwide. Of these, more than 860,000 were Romanian, and 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. The largest Asian immigrant group, the Chinese, number slightly over 166,000. Immigrants from several sub-Saharan African countries have also settled in Spain as contract workers, representing 4.08% of all the foreign residents in the country.

Spain migration data, 2008-present

Foreign population

As of 2024, Spain had a foreign population of 6,581,028.^{[41] [42]} The largest groups of foreigners were those of Moroccan, Romanian, British, Chinese and Italian citizenship.Meanwhile in 2024, Spain had a foreign-born population of 8,915,831, being those born in the Americas the largest group, and Europe being the second most common continent of origin after South America.^[43]

Religions

See main article: Religion in Spain. 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 then, Catholicism has been the main religion in Spain.^{[48] [49]}

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.^{[50] [51] [52]}

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 abolished Catholicism as the official state religion, but recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society.^[53] 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, Consequently, a majority of Spaniards today ignore Catholic doctrines on matters such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality and contraception.^{[54] [55]} Despite the drop, Catholic identity nevertheless remains an important part of Spain's culture.^[56]

, 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.^[57] 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.^[58]

There have been three Popes from what is now Spain, all of them from the Crown of Aragon: Calixtus III, Alexander VI and Benedict XIII. Spanish mysticism provided an important intellectual resource against Protestantism with Carmelites like Teresa of Ávila, a reformist nun and John of the Cross, a priest, taking the lead in their reform movement. Later, they became Doctors of the Church. The Society of Jesus was co-founded by Ignatius of Loyola, whose Spiritual Exercises and movement led to the establishment of hundreds of colleges and universities in the world, including 28 in the United States alone. The Society's co-founder, Francis Xavier, was a missionary who reached India and later Japan. In the 1960s, Jesuits Pedro Arrupe and Ignacio Ellacuría supported the movement of Liberation Theology.

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, 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.^[59] The recent waves of immigration have also led to an increasing number of Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus. After the Reconquista in 1492, Muslims did not live in Spain for centuries. Their ranks have since been bolstered by recent immigration, especially from Morocco and Algeria.Judaism was practically non-existent in Spain from the 1492 expulsion until the 19th century, when Jews were again permitted to enter the country. Currently there are around 62,000 Jews in Spain, or 0.14% of the total population. Most are arrivals in the past century, while some are descendants of earlier Spanish Jews. Approximately 80,000 Jews are thought to have lived in Spain prior to its expulsion.^[60] However the Jewish Encyclopedia states the number over 800,000 to be too large and 235,000 as too small: 165,000 is given as expelled as possibly too small in favour of 200,000, and the numbers of converts after the 1391 pogroms as less. Other sources suggest 200,000 converts mostly after the pogroms of 1391 and upwards of 100,000 expelled. Up until recently, descendants of these Sephardic Jews expelled in 1492 were eligible for Spanish citizenship if they requested it.^[61]

Languages

• Spanish 99% (88% mother tongue^[62]) (official nationwide)
• Catalan 16%^[63] (9% mother tongue^[62]) (co-official in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, and Valencia — see Valencian)
• Galician 7% (5% mother tongue^[62]) (co-official in Galicia)
• Basque 1.6% (1% mother tongue^[62]) (co-official in Basque Country and designated areas in Navarre).
• Aranese (a variant of Gascon Occitan) is co-official in Val d'Aran, a small valley in the Pyrenees.

Others with no official status:

• Asturian-Leonese (in the former Kingdom of León and Asturias)
• Aragonese (in the province of Huesca, Aragon)
• Arabic (in the autonomous city of Ceuta)
• Tarifit (in the autonomous city of Melilla)

Educational system

About 70% of Spain's students in non-university education attend public schools;^[64] 79.1% of students in higher education are enrolled in public universities.^[65] The remainder attend private schools or universities, many of which are operated by the Catholic Church.^[66]

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.

See also

• Health in Spain
• List of Spaniards
• Romani people in Spain
• Ranked list of Spanish autonomous communities
• Singular population entity
• Contemporary history of Spain

External links

• Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística Statistical data about demography and population
• Build Spanish population graph 1960 - 2013 (World Bank data)
• Build Spanish population projection graph till 2100 (United Nation data)
• Build Spanish life expectancy at birth graph 1950 - 2013 (United Nation data)

Notes and References

1. Web site: INEbase / Continuous Population Statistics (CPS). 1st July 2024. Provisional data. ine.es. 1 July 2024.
2. Web site: INEbase / Continuous Population Statistics (CPS). 1st July 2024. Provisional data. ine.es. 1 July 2024.
3. Web site: INEbase / Continuous Population Statistics (CPS). 1st July 2024. Provisional data. ine.es. 1 July 2024.
4. Web site: These maps reveal the truth about population density across Europe. 25 January 2018.
5. Web site: Indice coyuntural de fecundidad. Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 19 June 2024 .
6. Web site: Immigration resumes to pre-pandemic levels in Spain with more women immigrants than men. EuroWeekly News. Betty Henderson. 26 January 2023.
7. Web site: todopapas . La evolución de las familias numerosas . 2022-11-25 . www.todopapas.com . es.
8. Web site: Fernández . Celia Valiente . Forgetting the past: The familiar policy of Spain (1975-1996) . Charles III University of Madrid.
9. Web site: La primera patera llegó a Canarias hace 20 años . 2022-11-25 . www.publico.es. 13 September 2008 .
10. Web site: 7 July 2014 . Saldo migratorio en España desde 1940 / Net migration in Spain since 1940 .
11. 2006 . Official report on Spanish recent Macroeconomics, including data and comments on immigration . dead . National Reform Program . 2 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080726044742/http://www.la-moncloa.es/NR/rdonlyres/2E85E75E-E2D9-4148-B1DF-950B06696A6C/74823/Chapter_2.PDF . 2008-07-26 . 2022-11-25 . la-moncloa.es.
12. Web site: Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Base de datos INEbase . 29 September 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929140743/http://www.ine.es/inebase/cgi/axi?AXIS_PATH=%2Finebase%2Ftemas%2Ft20%2Fe245%2Fp08%2Fl0%2F&FILE_AXIS=04001.px&CGI_DEFAULT=%2Finebase%2Ftemas%2Fcgi.opt&COMANDO=SELECCION&CGI_URL=%2Finebase%2Fcgi%2F . 29 September 2007 .
13. Web site: Evolution of the global fertility rate between 1975 and 2005 . 2022-11-25 . Instituto Nacional de Estadística . 29 September 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929142153/http://www.ine.es/inebase2/tabla.jsp?searchString=&L=0&idTabla=18&periodicidad=12&unidades=Nacidos+por+1000+mujeres+de+15+a+49+a%F1os&diviDescripcion=Indicadores+Demogr%E1ficos+B%E1sicos&divi=IDB&capitulo=Natalidad+y+Fecundidad&tabla=Tasa+global+de+fecundidad,+por+1000+mujeres.+Total+nacional+y+comunidades+aut%F3nomas&his=0 . dead .
14. Web site: El 75% de los nuevos habitantes de España es extranjero, según un estudio - Nacional_Sociedad - Nacional - ABC.es. ABC. ABC. 4 August 2008.
15. Web site: Life expectancy. Our World in Data. 28 August 2018.
16. Web site: World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations. 15 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160919061238/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/. 19 September 2016. dead.
17. Web site: Indice coyuntural de fecundidad. Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 19 June 2024 .
18. Web site: Fondo documental. Historia. www.ine.es.
19. Web site: Instituto Nacional de Estadística Vital Statistics. 8 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120312051823/http://www.ine.es/en/inebmenu/mnu_mnp_en.htm. 12 March 2012. dead.
20. https://ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=56934 ines.es Resident population by date, sex and age, visitid August 27 20203
21. Web site: Births, by country of nationality of the mother and month.. INE.
22. Web site: Vital Statistics / Basic Demographic Indicators / Life Tables. Year 2022. INE.
23. Web site: Monthly estimates of births. Instituto Nacional de Estadística .
24. Web site: Weekly death estimates. Instituto Nacional de Estadística.
25. Web site: Expansión / Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - Spain.
26. Web site: Rival nationalisms in a plurinational state: Spain, Catalonia and the Basque Country. Oxford University Press. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170525185738/http://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/10056. 25 May 2017.
27. Web site: España, una nación de naciones. University of Navarre. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170525185727/https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/555054.pdf. 25 May 2017.
28. News: Nacionalidades históricas. 9 May 2016. El País. 23 August 1996. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160428110601/http://elpais.com/diario/1996/08/24/opinion/840837607_850215.html. 28 April 2016. Azaola. José Miguel de.
29. News: Ethnic Groups in Spain Study.com. Study.com. 9 May 2018. en.
30. Web site: Diagnóstico social de la comunidad gitana en España. Msc.es. 21 May 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161227231426/http://www.msc.es/ssi/familiasInfancia/inclusionSocial/poblacionGitana/docs/diagnosticosocial_autores.pdf. 27 December 2016 .
31. Web site: Estimations. JPG. Gfbv.it. 21 May 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160405044724/http://www.gfbv.it/3dossier/sinti-rom/img/n7a.jpg. 5 April 2016 .
32. Web site: The Situation of Roma in Spain. Open Society Institute. 2002. The Spanish government estimates the number of Gitanos at a maximum of 650,000.. 15 September 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20071201172552/http://www.eumap.org/reports/2002/eu/international/sections/spain/2002_m_spain.pdf. 1 December 2007.
33. http://www.osce.org/hcnm/78034?download=true Recent Migration of Roma in Europe, A study by Mr. Claude Cahn and Professor Elspeth Guild
34. Web site: The Situation of Roma in Spain. 14 August 2008. Open Society Institute. https://web.archive.org/web/20080626103751/http://www.eumap.org/reports/2002/eu/international/sections/spain/2002_m_spain.pdf. 26 June 2008. dead .
35. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Sephardim.html Sephardim – Jewish Virtual Library
36. Web site: El regreso de los judíos sefardíes a España. euronewses. 29 August 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140908192753/http://es.euronews.com/2014/08/29/el-regreso-de-los-judios-sefardies-a-espana/. 8 September 2014.
37. Web site: Population (Spaniards/foreigners) by Country of Birth, sex and year. Población (españoles/extranjeros) por País de Nacimiento, sexo y año . es. National Institute of Statistics. Instituto Nacional de Estadística.
38. Web site: Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Estadística del Padrón Continuo . ine.es . . 20 June 2024 .
39. News: 2017 . Sube el número de inmigrantes que viven en España . es . Datosmacro . 7 June 2019.
40. Web site: Población (españoles/extranjeros) por País de Nacimiento, sexo y año . 28 April 2021 . Instituto NAcional de Estadística.
41. Web site: Población extranjera por Nacionalidad, comunidades, Sexo y Año.. Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 20 June 2024.
42. Web site: Población extranjera por Nacionalidad, comunidades, Sexo y Año. . 2023-07-13 . INE . es-ES.
43. Web site: Población (españoles/extranjeros) por país de nacimiento y sexo.. Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 5 April 2019.
44. Web site: Población extranjera por Nacionalidad, comunidades, Sexo y Año. . 2023-07-13 . INE . es-ES.
45. Web site: Resident population by date, sex, nationality (groups of countries) and place of birth (groups of countries)(9691). 2022-01-05. INE. en. 5 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220105201011/https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Tabla.htm?t=9691&L=1. dead.
46. Web site: Población residente por fecha, sexo, nacionalidad (agrupación de países) y lugar de nacimiento (agrupación de países)(9691) . 2023-07-13 . INE . es-ES . 25 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221025102106/https://ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=9691 . dead .
47. Web site: Población residente por fecha, sexo, nacionalidad (agrupación de países) y lugar de nacimiento (agrupación de países)(9691) . 2023-07-13 . INE . es-ES . 25 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221025102106/https://ine.es/jaxiT3/Datos.htm?t=9691 . dead .
48. Book: Encyclopedia of Global Religion. Juergensmeyer. Mark. Roof. Wade Clark. SAGE Publications. 2011. 1214. 9781452266565.
49. Book: Payne, Stanley G. . Spanish Catholicism: An Historical Overview . . 1984 . 9780299098049 . en.
50. Book: 10. Laicidad and Religious Diversity in Latin America. 9783319447452. Springer. 2016.
51. Book: Cornelio, Jayeel Serrano. Being Catholic in the Contemporary Philippines: Young People Reinterpreting Religion. 2016. Routledge. 9781317621966.
52. Book: 198. The Spanish Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. 2016. 9781610694223. H. Micheal. Tarver Ph.D.. Slape. Emily.
53. y . Constitución española . . Constitution . 29 December 1978 . art, 14, 16 & 27.3 . BOE . 311 . BOE-A-1978-31229 . English . 2024-04-26,5 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. . 15 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190515160644/http://www.congreso.es/portal/page/portal/Congreso/Congreso/Hist_Normas/Norm/const_espa_texto_ingles_0.pdf -->.
54. News: Tarvainen . Sinikka . Reforms anger Spanish church . Dawn International . 26 September 2004 . 21 March 2008.
55. News: Zapatero accused of rejecting religion. Worldwide Religious News. 15 October 2004. 21 March 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081023070458/http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=15453&sec=59&con=53. 23 October 2008.
56. Book: A. Santos. 9781137296405. Springer. Social Movements and Sexual Citizenship in Southern Europe. 2012.
57. Web site: Barómetro de enero de 2018. Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Centre for Sociological Research). January 2018. 19. 3 March 2018. es. https://web.archive.org/web/20130712095356/http://dat/. 12 July 2013. dead.
58. Web site: Eurobarometer 69 - Values of Europeans. p.16. 24 March 2009.
59. Explotación estadística del censo de ciudadanos musulmanes en España referido a fecha 31/12/2012. Unión de Comunidades Islámicas de España. 2012. 6–9. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130328084242/http://oban.multiplexor.es/estademograf.pdf. 28 March 2013.
60. Book: Kamen, Henry. The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision. registration. 1999. Yale University Press. Henry Kamen. 29–31.
61. News: Sanz. Juan Carlos. Spain at last welcomes back the Sephardim. 22 January 2016. 26 May 2018. Tel Aviv. El País.
62. Web site: Europeans and their languages. February 2006 . ec.europa.eu. European Commission.
63. Web site: Spain.
64. Web site: 2021 . Facts and Figures 2021/2022 school year . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211227201902/https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/dam/jcr:4d443eb4-40e5-4be4-b739-dd396aa5852f/datos-y-cifras-2021-2022-english.pdf . 27 December 2021 . 20 July 2022 . Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional.
65. Web site: 25 April 2022 . Datos y Cifras del Sistema Universitario Español (Publicación 2021-2022) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220130051151/https://www.universidades.gob.es/portal/site/universidades/menuitem.a9621cf716a24d251662c810026041a0/?vgnextoid=044e91d248552710VgnVCM1000001d04140aRCRD . 30 January 2022 . 20 July 2022 . Ministerio de Universidades.
66. Web site: Parcerisa . Elizabeth . 2020-08-15 . Qué es un colegio concertado: características, ventajas y polémicas . 2022-06-29 . Nius Diario . es.