Population Dynamics and Migration Trends in Catalonia
1. Population Dynamics in Catalonia
1.1 Positive Population Dynamics Over Three Centuries
Catalonia has a population of 7,300,000 inhabitants, and the trend continues to rise. For 300 years, its population growth has not been regular. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Catalan population grew due to increased vegetative growth, and in the 20th century, this was further boosted by immigration. This trend continues at the beginning of this century. Throughout the 20th century, the increase in the Catalan population was faster than the overall population growth.
1.2 The Growing Importance of Migration
For a hundred years, the population of our country has increased thanks to the contribution of immigration. The first major wave of immigration occurred between 1920 and 1930, with the arrival of approximately half a million immigrants from Aragon, Valencia, and Murcia. The second significant wave occurred between 1950 and 1975, bringing in a million and a half people from the southern Iberian Peninsula. In the late 20th century, another wave of immigration began, coming from various parts of the world, including Morocco, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. The growth of the population has accelerated since 2000, potentially boosting the country’s population to six to eight million. The spatial distribution of immigration has always been uneven, with Barcelona and its surroundings acting as a magnet for immigrants since the early 20th century. Currently, immigration is more evenly distributed across the territory, mainly in the region of Barcelona.
1.3 Weak Vegetative Growth
The Catalan vegetative growth has been weak for many years, resulting in a slow population increase. The vegetative growth of Catalonia reached a minimum between 1990 and 1999, and since then, there has been a slight recovery thanks to the demographic contribution of immigration. This low current vegetative growth is the result of several factors: low female fertility, an aging population, an increase in the average age of motherhood, and a somewhat higher mortality rate due to the aging population. The contribution of young people from current immigration, the coming of age of Catalans born between 1970-1980, and an increase in fertility among middle-aged women are three factors that have contributed to an increase in the birth rate and fertility, which is now at 1.46 children per woman. Our fertility rate is average compared to Europe, and the current vegetative growth of Catalonia is among the highest in Europe. Currently, there are a dozen counties with a negative natural increase, while the counties with the most demographic vitality are in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Tarragona, and the Selva region.
2. The Structure of the Population of Catalonia
2.1 Aging Population
In 2001, Catalonia was one of the most aged regions in the world, following fifteen years of stagnant population and low birth rates. This aging has also been influenced by the prolonged life expectancy in Catalonia, which ranks fifth in the world after Iceland, Australia, Switzerland, and Japan. The arrival of over one million immigrants has decreased the aging index, although the country still has an aging index greater than 1, indicating that there are more elderly people than young. The percentage of individuals aged 65 years or more places us among the thirteenth countries in the world with the highest proportion of elderly, while the aging index ranks us eleventh globally due to the small number of young people in Catalonia. Aging is distributed unevenly across the country, with the oldest counties located in the mountainous areas and the high basin of Barbera, while relatively younger populations are found in the pre-coastal depression and along the coast.
2.2 Increased Masculinity Ratio
From a biological perspective, more boys are born. Throughout life, these figures balance out because the life expectancy of women is higher than that of men. The population of Catalonia follows the same trend, although there is a slight increase in the male-to-female ratio, likely due to a higher number of male immigrants.
2.3 Population from Various Sources
For 80 years, the population of Catalonia has consisted of local inhabitants, who were born there, plus a relatively large number of people born elsewhere. By the 1980s, after significant Spanish immigration, the percentage of residents born outside the country rose to 37%. The immigration process that increased the percentage of the indigenous population halted, but the arrival of new immigrants in 1996 has again increased the population born outside the country, now representing 36.5% of the total. The percentage of residents born in Catalonia from other Spanish regions has declined over the past 25 years since the immigration process was fully completed in 1980. At that time, the Spanish immigrant population represented one-third of Catalonia’s population; it currently represents only one-fifth. Regarding current immigration, its growth has been rapid. The origins of the immigrants are quite diverse, predominantly from three areas: North Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Other countries with high levels of immigrant origin include China, Italy, and France. The majority of this migration trend aims to integrate into the country, as many people choose to start the process of family reunification once they stabilize their employment status and legal situation, bringing their families to settle in Catalonia.