Key Demographic Terms and Population Trends in Spain

Posted on Dec 21, 2024 in Geography

Understanding Population Dynamics

This document defines essential demographic terms and illustrates them with examples primarily from Spain. Understanding these concepts is crucial for analyzing population trends and their societal impacts.

Census

A census is a valuable source for studying a population’s size, demographics, culture, social structure, and economic status. It includes data such as population size, age, sex, marital status, and educational level. Censuses are typically conducted every ten years, specifically in years ending in 1.

Demographic Cycles

Old Demographic Cycle: This cycle, prevalent up to the pre-industrial stage and before the demographic revolution, is characterized by high birth and mortality rates. It results in slow, oscillating, and sometimes negative population growth. In Spain, this cycle ended in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Modern or Current Demographic Cycle: This is the last phase of the “demographic revolution,” explaining the evolution of Europe’s population in recent centuries. Both birth and mortality rates are very low, leading to moderate or stagnant natural growth, minimal population growth, and increased life expectancy. Spain has been in this stage since 1975.

Key Population Indicators

Zero Growth: This occurs when the natural population growth, the excess of births over deaths, is balanced. It is typical in developed countries or regions in the terminal phase of demographic transition (phase IV). For example, in Spain in 1998, growth was nearly zero (9.73‰ birth rate and 9.62‰ mortality rate).
Natural Increase: This is the difference between the number of births and deaths in a population, expressed as a percentage. It can be positive (population growth) or negative (population decline). A natural growth rate above 2% is considered high, between 1% and 2% is moderate, and less than 1% is low. In Spain, in 1996, it was 0.17%.
Population Density: This is the ratio between a territory’s population and its surface area, indicating the average occupancy level. It is expressed in people per square kilometer (km²). Spain’s population density is 77.6 inhabitants/km².
Aging Population: This refers to populations where the percentage of people aged 65 and over is 12% or more of the total. In Spain, it is at 18%. The causes are a sharp decline in birth rates and rising life expectancy.
Life Expectancy: This index expresses the average number of years people in a certain place are expected to live. It differs by sex (higher in women) and the degree of development of the country or area. In developed countries, it is over 70 years. Japan (80) and Spain (78) have the highest life expectancies. On average, life expectancy is 7 years higher in women than in men in these countries.

Migration and Mobility

Rural Exodus: This is the migration of large numbers of rural workers to cities, attracted by job opportunities in industry and services. In Spain, this term usually refers to the migration process in the late 1950s and 1960s when millions of peasants left the poorest areas of the Spanish countryside.
Dependency Ratio: This is the ratio between the population not of working age (dependent population) and the population of working age. It is calculated by multiplying the dependent population (0-15 years and 65 years and over) by 100 and dividing by the working-age population (15-64 years). The higher the index, the greater the burden on the working-age population.
Immigration: This involves a change of residence from one country to another or within the same country, considered from the point of arrival. In Spain, traditional immigration regions have been industrial cities (Catalonia, Basque Country, and Madrid) and, subsequently, tourist areas of the peninsula, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands.
Seasonal Migration: This is a short-duration migratory movement without a change of residence, often for agricultural tasks at a particular time of year. In Spain, it is common, although declining, for Spanish immigrants to go to France for the harvest.
Migration/Immigration Current: Any movement involving a change of residence, including emigration (out of population) and immigration (in of population). Migration can be internal or external, commuting, seasonal, temporary, or permanent, voluntary (usually for work), or forced (due to war, political, or religious persecution).
Swings: These are temporary migration rates made in one day, generally without a change of residence. This type of movement is common in metropolitan areas between bedroom communities and the central city due to work, education, etc.

Fertility and Birth Rates

Fertility Rate: This indicates the number of children born in a year concerning the number of women of childbearing age (15-49). It is calculated by multiplying live births in a year by 1000 and dividing by the number of women of childbearing age. For the population to grow, this rate needs to be 2.1 or higher (to produce generational replacement). Spain has one of the lowest rates in the world, at 1.2.
Birth/Birth Rate: This is the number of individuals born during a year in a given area. The birth rate is the relationship between the number of live births per thousand inhabitants in a year: (births in a year * 1000) / total population = rate in ‰. The modernization of society in Spain has led to a decrease in this rate, especially after 1970. In 1997, it was 9.1‰.
Fertility Formula: This estimates the population by the number of births in a year in relation to the number of women of childbearing age (15-49). For the population to grow, the rate must reach a minimum value of 2.1.

Other Important Demographic Terms

Register: This is a demographic source that lists the inhabitants of a municipality with information such as name, address, sex, date and place of birth, nationality, marital status, educational level, and profession. It is done every five years.
Population Pyramid: This is a frequency histogram representing the distribution of the population by age (age groups: youth 0-14, adults 15-65, and older than 65) and sex, respectively, on each side of a meridian axis.
Active Population: This is the group of people over 16 who are working or available for work, excluding students, housewives, and others who do not do paid work. It includes both the employed and unemployed population (people seeking employment). Characteristics of the active population in Spain include the delay in incorporating young people into the labor market, the anticipation of retirement age, and the progressive incorporation of women into the workplace.
Inactive Population: This comprises pensioners and schoolchildren. It should not be confused with the unemployed population, which is part of the labor force.
Population of Law: This is the resident population of a municipality when the census or registry is taken, including the present and transient population.
Actual Population: This is the population present in each municipality at the time of a census.
Net Migration: This is the difference between the number of immigrants a country or region receives and the number of emigrants it emits. In Spain, this balance has historically been negative but has become positive in recent years.
Sex Ratio: This is the ratio between the number of men and the total population in a year and a given area, expressed as a percentage or per mil. It indicates the relative participation of men in a given population.
Mortality Rate: This expresses the relationship between the deceased and the total population: (Number of deaths in a year * 1000) / Total population. Old demographic regime: +30‰, transition: 10‰, modern: 8‰. In Spain, this rate was relatively high at the beginning of the century compared to other European countries (over 24‰), even spiking during the 1920 flu epidemic. It then decreased to 34‰ (with a rebound during the Civil War) until reaching its lowest levels (about 8‰) in the 1980s and has since started climbing due to population aging (currently about 10‰).
Infant Mortality Rate: This represents the percentage of deaths under one year: (deaths under 1 year * 1000) / live births that year. This rate varies greatly depending on the country’s development: developed countries: less than 20‰, developing countries: between 20‰ and 80‰, underdeveloped countries: between 80‰ and 140‰.
Unemployment Rate: This is the rate of the unemployed population to the total workforce. In Spain, this rate began to increase after the 1975 crisis, reaching 20.85% in 1985 and 18.9% in 1998. There are significant differences in this rate between men and women (15.5% and 28.4% respectively in 1998).
Demographic Transition: Within the demographic history of an area or country, this is a period in which the birth rate gradually declines while the mortality rate drops rapidly, causing rapid population growth. In Spain, this period started at the beginning of the 20th century and ended in 1975, giving way to the modern demographic regime when fertility began to fall.
Xenophobia: This is hostility to foreigners or foreign things. In Spain, the arrival of increasing numbers of immigrants with different races, religions, languages, customs, and cultures has led to xenophobic reactions by certain individuals or social groups.