The population of Spain

2. THE POPULATION OF SPAIN -

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DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION Today Spain has about 47 million inhabitants.

Its average population density is 92 inhabitants per km2, but there are grea differences beween regions.

Spanish population is distributed unevenly: 1. Inland areas: - Low population density.

-Zamora, Soria, and Cuenca have less than 30 inhabitants per km2 .

- The biggest exception is Madrid (which has one of the highest population densities in the country).

2. Coastal regions and the two archipelagos (Canary and Balearic Islands): - They have high population density.

- Provinces such as Barcelona, Valencia, Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, Alicante y Santa Cruz de Tenerife have more than 200 inhabitants per km2.

These differences are due to the historical development of the country: -

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Until 17 th century, inland areas of Spain were highly populated.

During 18 th century, economic development on the coast had attracted immigrants from the centre of the Peninsula.

In inland Spain, population density is greater in the south than in the nort: 1. In the north, towns and villages have been quite small.

2. Southern towns are bigger and offer a wider range of services and offer job opportunities to young people.

2. THE POPULATION OF SPAIN NATURAL INCREASE -

Birth Rate : -

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The fertility rate: -

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It has declined.

The number of children per woman is now 1.4‰, which is below the rate at which one generation is replaced by another.

The reasons are the high economic cost of bringing up children and the entry of women into the labour market.

The mortality rate: -

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For the most of the 20 th century, it was above 20 per thousand (20 ‰) in Spain.

In recent decades this has declined considerably.

Today, Spain has a birth rate of 10.2‰, one of the lowest in the world.

At the beginning of the 2º th century it was more than 20‰.

It has declined as a result of improvements in health services and living conditions.

Today it is 8.9 ‰ The main causes of death are heart disease, cancer and traffic accidents.

Life expectancy : -

It is one of the highest in he world.

It is about 84 years for women and 78 years for men.

2. THE POPULATION OF SPAIN -

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THE AGE STRUCTURE The Spanish population has been getting older for many years.

This ageing has been causes by the increase in life expectancy which has led to a rise in the number of old people.

The falling birth rate has led to a drop in the number of young people.

Today, 15.3% of the Spanish population are under 15 years of age and 17.3% are 65 or older.

The proportion of old people is certain to go on increasing in the future.

This is likely to cause economic problems because the state will have to use a lot of its resources to pay for pensions and look after older people.