Question: What is the population of Spain?

Demographics of Spain



Historical populationYearPop.±%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%201846,659,302−0.3%Source: INE
As of 1 January 2018, Spain had a total population of 46,659,302, which represents a 0.28% increase since 2017.[1] The CIA Factbook (2011) gives a racial description of "composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types" under "ethnic groups" instead of the usual breakdown of ethnic composition. This reflects the formation of the modern Kingdom of Spain by the accretion of several independent Iberian realms, like León, Castile, Navarre, the Crown of Aragon, and Granada, among others.
Spain's population peaked in 2012, at 46,818,216 people. Spain's official population fell by 206,000 to 47.1 million, mostly because of immigrants returning home due to the effects of the European economic and fiscal crisis.[2] Its population density, at 91.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (237/sqmi), is lower than that of most Western European countries. 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, a phenomenon which happened later than in other Western European countries. No fewer than 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) is lower than the EU average, but 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.
Spain has no official religion. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 abolished the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society. As of 2018, 68.5% of the population define themselves as Catholic, 26.4% as non-believers or atheists, and 2.6% other religions. [3] 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. [3] Practical secularization is strong[4][5] and most, especially those of the younger generations, ignore the religious doctrines on issues such as pre-marital sex, sexual orientation or contraception.[6][7]
Immigration and Demographic Issues


The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century as a result of the spectacular demographic boom in the 1960s and early 1970s. After that time, the birth rate plunged through the 1980s and Spain's population became stalled, its demographics showing one of the lowest sub replacement fertility rates in the world, only above Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine, and Japan.
Many demographers have linked Spain's very low fertility rate to the country's lack of any real family planning 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 recently 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.[8] In 2005 alone, the immigrant population of Spain increased by 700,000 people.[9].
The arrival of migrating young adults was the main reason for the slight increase in Spain's fertility rate.[10] From 2002 through 2008 the Spanish population grew by 8%, of which 7% were foreign.[11]
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 national-catholic dictatorship, contraception and abortion were banned. 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.[12]
1945. Establishment of tax deductions for parents.[13]
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. As Spain became a developed country, the first events of illegal immigration from Africa occur.[14]
1991. Spain becomes a net receiver of immigrants, after decades of mass emigration.[15]
1994. Lowering of threshold of requirements to become a large family, only three children needed.[12]
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




1950-2015

Source: UN World Population Prospects[17]
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.[18]






Statistics since 1900


Current vital statistics[21]
Births January–June 2017 =  190,962
Births January–June 2018 =  179,794
Deaths January–June 2017 =  221,700
Deaths January–June 2018 =  226,384
Natural increase January–June 2017 =  -30,738
Natural increase January–June 2018 =  -46,590
Other demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the World Population Review.[22]
One birth every 1 minutes
One death every 1 minutes
Net gain of one person every 42 minutes
One net migrant every 13 minutes
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[23]
Population
48,958,159 (2017 est.) 46,529,002 (July 2010 est.)




Age structure
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: 42.7 years

male: 41.5 years

female: 43.9 years (2017 est.)
Population growth rate
0.78% (2017 est.). Country comparison to the world: 134th
Birth rate
9.2 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 204th
Death rate
9.1 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 64th
Net migration rate
7.8 current migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 13th
Mother's mean age at first birth
30.7 years (2015 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.5 children born/woman (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 197th
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.8 years. Country comparison to the world: 22nd
male: 78.8 years
female: 84.9 years (2017 est.)
Infant mortality rate
3.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.). Country comparison to the world: 212th
Sex ratio
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.72 male(s)/female

total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
total population:
82.4 years (Source: OECD 2013 "Health at a glance" report)

male:
78.8 years (Source: OECD 2013 "Health at a glance" report)

female:
85.2 years (Source: OECD 2013 "Health at a glance" report)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 44.4%
male: 44%
female: 44.9% (2016 est.)
Nationality
See also: Nationalities and regions of Spain 
noun:
Spaniard(s)

adjective:
Spanish
Metropolitan areas

The largest metropolitan areas in 2007 were:[24]

Madrid	6,489,162
Barcelona	5,375,774
Valencia	1,705,742
Seville	1,519,639
Bilbao	950,155
Málaga	897,563
Asturias (Gijón–Oviedo–Avilés) 857,079
Alicante–Elche 748,565
Zaragoza 731,803
Vigo - Pontevedra 662,412
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 616,903
Bahía de Cádiz (Cádiz–Jerez de la Frontera) 615,494
Santa Cruz de Tenerife 573,825
Murcia 563,272
Palma de Mallorca 474,035
Granada 472,638
San Sebastián 402,168
Tarragona 406,042
La Coruña 403,007
Valladolid 400,400
Santander–Torrelavega 391,480
Córdoba 323,600
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

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 the descendants of the population of the Canary Islands prior to Spanish colonization in the 15th century.
Also included are many Spaniard citizens who are descendents 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]
Native-born Spanish citizens of all ethnic groups make up 88% of the total population, and 12% are immigrants. Among the immigrants, around 57% of them come from Spain's former colonies in Latin America (including those from Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Chile and Uruguay), former Spanish Africa and Philippines ( Southeast Asia ). The rest are mostly Eastern European (especially Romanians, Bulgarians, Russians, Serbians, Croatians, Bosnians, Ukrainians and Albanians), North and West Africans (notably Moroccans, Algerians, Senegalese, Guineans, Nigerians and Cameroonians), Middle Eastern peoples including the Lebanese and Syrian communities, South Asians including Indians and Pakistanis, and Chinese, as well as a sizable number of citizens from the European Union, as of 2007 mostly Romanians, Bulgarians, British, Portuguese, Polish (central Europe), and Germans.
List of largest minority groups in Spain by country as of 2011

Religions

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. [3] 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. [3][5] Most Spaniards, especially younger ones, ignore Catholic doctrines on matters such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality and contraception.[6][7]
Languages
Spanish 99% (88% mother tongue[27]) (official nationwide)
Catalan 16%[28] (9% mother tongue[27]) (co-official in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, and Valencia — see Valencian)
Galician 7% (5% mother tongue[27]) (co-official in Galicia)
Basque 1.6% (1% mother tongue[27]) (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)
Berber (in the autonomous city of Melilla)
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 superior technical schools offer programs in engineering and architecture.
Notes

See also

Health in Spain
Spain
List of Spaniards
Nationalities in Spain
Romani people in Spain
Ranked list of Spanish autonomous communities