Foreign Population and Demographics in Spain: An Analysis
Foreign Population in Spanish Provinces
Location of Foreign Population
The map depicts the location of the foreign population in the Spanish provinces.
Questions and Answers
a) Which provinces are home to more than 20,000 foreigners?
The following provinces are home to more than 20,000 foreigners: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Navarra, Zaragoza, Lleida, Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona, Castellón, Valencia, Alicante, Mallorca, Murcia, Almería, Málaga, and Madrid.
b) Outline territorial trends in the foreign population location. Why do foreigners accumulate in these provinces?
Spain has become a country of immigrants (now exceeding 4 million).
Destinations: Catalonia, Madrid, Andalusia, Valencia, Murcia, Balearic Islands, and Canary Islands.
Causes of Immigration (Labor, Economic, Political):
- EU immigrants are retirees (attracted by good weather) or adults attracted by job opportunities and business.
- Non-EU immigrants move to Spain for economic reasons (lack of resources and work in their countries of origin) or political reasons (persecution, etc.).
Profile: They are predominantly young people who perform low-skilled jobs in construction, mining, agriculture, fishing, and domestic service.
c) What are the main countries of origin of foreigners in Spain, and why?
Provenance:
- Countries of the EU (France, UK, Italy, Germany, Romania, Poland, Lithuania, etc.)
- Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Kosovo, etc.)
- Latin America (Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, etc.)
- Africa (Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, Guinea, Mauritania, etc.)
- Asia (China, Indonesia, Philippines, India, etc.)
Consequences of Immigration
a) Demographic: Younger demographics
b) Financial Implications:
- Immigrants often take the toughest jobs with lower pay, unwanted by Spanish workers.
- A recent UN report estimated that Spain would require 12 million immigrants over the next fifty years to maintain its current standard of living (pay pensions and maintain the present level of welfare).
c) Social Consequences:
- Xenophobic or racist attitudes.
- Many immigrants suffer harsh working conditions (low wages, long working hours, lack of insurance) and living conditions (slums and poor housing).
- Cultural, linguistic, and religious differences make it difficult to integrate and may give rise to tensions with the native population.
Population Structure in Spain (2000)
Analysis of Population Structure
The maps represent the structure of the population under 15 years and over 65 years in 2000.
Questions and Answers
a) Name all the Autonomous Communities that have a “young population”: more than 16.5%, between 14.5%-16.5%, and those that have an “aging population” of more than 18.8%.
Young population Autonomous Communities > 16.5%: Andalusia, Murcia, Melilla, and Ceuta
Young population Autonomous Communities 14.5%-16.5%: Balearic Islands, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, and the Canary Islands
Elderly population Autonomous Communities > 18.8%: Galicia, Asturias, Castilla-León, Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha, and Extremadura (18.79%)
b) Indicate the possible causes of this structural and spatial distribution of the Spanish population.
Spain has an absolute population of 44.5 million, with a population density of 88.10 hb/km2. This average hides strong spatial imbalances between Autonomous Communities.
Areas with high population density: Madrid, peninsular periphery (Galician Rías Bajas, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Catalonia, Murcia, Valencia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and Andalusia).
Areas of medium or low density: Navarra, La Rioja, peninsular interior (Castilla-León, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón, Extremadura, interior of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and inland areas of eastern Andalusia).
Regional contrast between regions due to different age structure (young, adult, old).
Spain has an aging age structure:
- Young people (0-14 years): 14.1% in 2007
- Adults (15-64 years): 69.2% in 2007
- Elderly (65 and over): 16.7% in 2007
Population under 16 years: These communities have a young population structure due to higher birth rates, the rejuvenation of the urban population, economic development generating immigration, and increased birth rates.
Population of 65 years and over: These communities have an aging population structure due to low mortality, low birth rates, emigration, and a negative natural growth.
c) What are the consequences of this structure on the society and economy of the affected regions?
Regions with young population: Strong spatial imbalances, recovery of the Spanish population due to immigration, birth rates above average, low mortality rates, positive natural growth, and the need for creating jobs, housing, and services.
Regions with elderly population: Strong spatial imbalances, negative natural increase, double aging (falling birth rate and influx of retirees and unemployed), a rise in mortality rates, increased expenditure for social protection (pensions, healthcare, welfare), challenges in financing pensions, increased healthcare costs, and increased inactivity and dependence.