Population Dynamics in Catalonia: 300 Years of Growth
Population Dynamics in Catalonia
Three Centuries of Positive Growth
Catalonia, at the end of 2008, had a population of 7,364,078 inhabitants with a tendency to increase. For 300 years, the Catalan population has increased, but it has not been uniform: there have been periods of rapid growth, slow growth, or even stagnation. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Catalan population increased due to natural increase. Population growth in the 20th century occurred mainly due to migration, and the growth trend continues at the beginning of the 21st century.
The Growing Importance of Migration
For 100 years, the population has increased, thanks mainly to immigration. The first major immigration occurred between 1920 and 1930, with half a million immigrants from Aragon, the Valencian Community, and Murcia. A second highlight was the immigration that occurred between 1950 and 1975, with one and a half million people coming from the southern Iberian Peninsula, with an outstanding contribution from Andalusia, Extremadura, and Galicia.
Finally, in the late 20th century, another significant immigration wave began, this time from different parts of the world, with the presence of people from Morocco, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. This has led to accelerated population growth in Catalonia since the year 2000.
The territorial distribution of immigrants has always been uneven. Barcelona and its surrounding area have acted as a center of attraction for immigrants since the early 20th century. Spanish immigration in the mid-20th century was concentrated in coastal areas and the pre-coastal depression from Tarragona to Vallès Oriental. Current immigration is distributed over the territory, notably in the region of Barcelona and the interior counties of Catalonia.
A Weak Vegetative Growth
Catalan vegetative growth has been weak for many years, meaning that the population increases slowly. The vegetative growth of Catalonia reached a minimum between 1990 and 1999. Since then, there has been a slight comeback, thanks to the demographic contribution of immigration. The current low natural increase is the result of several factors:
- Maintenance of low female fertility rates since 1980, ranging between 1.1 and 1.4 children per woman.
- An aging population with a high life expectancy of 77.3 years for men and 83.8 years for women, among the highest in the world.
- An increase in the average age of motherhood, which currently stands at around 31 years old.
- Maintenance of a somewhat elevated mortality rate due to the aging population.
The contribution of the young immigrant population, the arrival to adulthood of the Catalan generation born between 1970 and 1980, and an increase in the fertility of women in middle age are three factors that have increased the Catalan birth rate up to 11.7% and fertility to 1.46 children per woman.
Because mortality is 8.37%, the resulting vegetative growth is 3.4%. Our fertility is positioned above that of Eastern Europe and most Mediterranean countries. The vegetative growth lies among the highest in Europe.
There are currently a dozen counties that have a negative natural increase. These are interior counties with a population of less than 40,000 inhabitants. In contrast, most counties with demographic vitality are in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Tarragona, and most of La Selva.