Are you moving to Spain? Going to Spain on holiday? You’ll want to know some basic facts about the population of Spain. Here we’ve put together some information on the people and population of Spain.
According to recent statistics the population of Spain stands at 43 million people. This means Spain has one of the lowest populations for a western European country of its geographical size. This is surprising since, as a catholic country, one would assume the birth rate in Spain to be relatively high.
Population growth in Spain
Spain has one of the slowest population growth rates in Europe. Latest population growth figures for Spain show that for every woman in Spain 1.24 children are being born. This is approximately half the population growth rate of other western European countries.
Population make up of Spain
The vast majority of the population of Spain are indigenous Spanish people. Only recently has immigration risen in Spain helping to boost population figures in Spain in recent years. Today nearly 3 million of the total population of Spain are recent immigrants to Spain coming mainly from Africa and the former Spanish colonies. There is one significant segment of the population of Spain who, while being ethnically distinct from the rest of the population, have long established roots in Spain. The Gypsies of Spain make up approximately 1% of the population of Spain and live mainly in Andalusia. This segment of the population of Spain are originally from India and migrated to Spain in the 15th century. The Gypsies of Spain are known to the outside world primarily for the Flamenco music & dancing which is so popular both in Spain and abroad.
Population concentration in Spain
The population in Spain is concentrated largely in the main cities. Barcelona and Madrid have the highest population concentrations in Spain. The rural areas of Spain are sparsely populated in comparison to other European countries that have long established and thriving rural communities composing a significant segment of the total population.
Religious breakdown of population in Spain
The overwhelming majority of the population of Spain are followers of the Catholic religion. A very small segment of the population in Spain are indigenous Spaniards that are protestants. Despite a long history in Spain, the Muslim population is comprised mainly of recent immigrants mainly from Morocco who make up approximately 0.5% of the total population of Spain.
