Spanish Demography and Urban Systems
1. Population Growth and Distribution
1.1. A Historical Process
From the 18th century, Spain experienced a growth phase continuing to this day. This growth, slow in the 18th century, became significant in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly between 1830 and 1960, mainly due to a high birth rate and a decline in mortality, especially from epidemics. This growth occurred mainly in coastal areas. In the 16th century, half the population lived on the plateau, but from the 17th century onward, the coastal area began to grow, and currently, only a quarter of the population lives in the center.
1.2. Uneven Population Distribution
Population distribution in Spain is very uneven, with some territories having very high population density and others being sparsely populated. Five areas have a high density:
- The Mediterranean area (from Girona to Murcia, including the Balearic Islands)
- Western Andalusia (Seville, Malaga, Cadiz)
- The metropolitan area of Madrid
- The Atlantic and Cantabrian area (Pontevedra to San Sebastian)
- The Canary Islands
Three territories are almost uninhabited:
- The provinces of Castile and Aragon, crossed by the Iberian Mountains
- The Castilian provinces of Extremadura, located next to Portugal
- Counties in the Pyrenees of Huesca and Lleida
Much of the central plateau has a low population density, except for the metropolitan area of Madrid. The causes of this unequal distribution are demographic, social, and economic. The most populated areas have a compact urban network, a major communications network, and a relatively young population. The secondary and tertiary sectors are important in some of them, such as the Mediterranean and Balearic fronts, where tourism is crucial. Sparsely populated areas are typically in the mountainous interior and have an aging population and negative vegetative growth. They are mainly devoted to the primary sector, although part of the population is trying to shift to the tertiary sector (especially rural tourism).
1.3. Internal Population Movements
The current population distribution is a consequence of two changes:
- A long-term change over the past 300+ years: the interior has been depopulated, and the coastal areas have seen population growth.
- A short-term change between 1960 and 1975: cities grew due to the migration of peasants to urban areas.
This double change stabilized around 1980, but the depopulation of the interior continued after 1980 because younger people had migrated, the population had aged, and the birth rate fell, leading to negative natural growth in many areas.
2. Population Dynamics
2.1. Low Vegetative Growth
Vegetative growth in Spain is low. The birth rate is low, although it has tended to increase since 1996 due to the immigration of young people. Mortality remains high due to the aging of the population, although it also tends to decrease due to immigration. High birth rates are found in the Mediterranean facade, the south, and Madrid, while high mortality rates occur in the north, Castile-Leon, and Aragon. Consequently, a third of Spanish provinces have a negative natural increase (northern interior). The causes of low natural increase, as in many developed countries, are low birth rates and low fecundity, primarily due to financial, social, and value-based reasons.
2.2. Significant Immigration
From the 19th century until 1975, Spain was a country of emigrants, first to America (Cuba, Argentina, and Venezuela) and from 1960 to developed European countries (Germany, France, and Switzerland). However, in the late 20th century, Spain became a country of immigrants due to significant economic development between 1995 and 2007 and the high demand for labor resulting from the falling birth rate since 1975. This immigration began around 1975 and originated from South American countries (30%), Eastern European countries (21%, especially Romania), developed EU countries (17%), and Morocco (11%). This immigration was driven by the search for jobs and better future prospects. Since 2006, family reunification has been a significant factor in immigration. One characteristic of immigration in Spain is its rapid pace (10 years), in contrast to other European countries where it has been more gradual.
2.3. Demographic Impact of Immigration
In 2008, 5.2 million immigrants lived in Spain, concentrated on the Mediterranean coast, the Balearic Islands, the metropolitan area of Madrid, and the Canary Islands. Immigration is very low in the north and western parts of Spain. The communities with the most immigrants are Catalonia, Madrid, Valencia, Andalusia, Murcia, Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands. Immigrants have significantly impacted demographics by increasing the birth rate, vegetative growth, and the proportion of young people in the population. Without immigration, population growth in Spain would have been negative.
3. Population Trends
3.1. Rapid Aging Process
Since 1980, a large decline in birth and fertility rates in Spain, coupled with increased life expectancy, has led to an aging population.
3.2. Cultural Diversity
Spain, like most countries, has great cultural diversity, with four officially recognized cultures: Castilian, Catalan, Basque, and Galician. Castilian Spanish is the official state language throughout Spain, while the other three languages and cultures are official in their respective autonomous communities. Even so, there are linguistic minorities (Catalans in Aragon, Galicians in Asturias and Leon, etc.) without official recognition of their languages in the statutes of these autonomous communities. Apart from these four cultures, other languages exist, such as Bable (Asturias) and the Aragonese language (Aragon), which are not officially recognized, except for Aranese in the Val d’Aran in Catalonia. Immigration has further increased cultural diversity, with the most significant groups being South American, Romanian, Arabic, and Berber. Although they maintain some customs and traditions, especially in the second generation, they have adapted to the Spanish language through schooling.
4. Urban Development
4.1. Spanish Urban System
The Spanish urban system is interconnected with the urban systems of other countries, especially since Spain joined the EU and with the rise of economic globalization, which has increased relations between cities worldwide. It is integrated into the European urban system through two main axes:
- The Mediterranean axis: The most important, connecting Barcelona, Lyon, and Marseille.
- The Atlantic axis: Less important, connecting Bilbao and Burgundy.
The two most important areas are Barcelona and Madrid. The Spanish urban system is structured into six urban systems:
- Mediterranean: The most important due to its population density and economic activity.
- Central area: Formed by the metropolitan area of Madrid, the most important in Spain, based on the centralization of communications, economic development, and political and financial power.
- Southern: Two axes: the Guadalquivir (from Cadiz to Jaen) and the coastline running from Cadiz to Almeria.
- Cantabrian: Includes the cities along the Cantabrian coast, the northern part of Castile-Leon, La Rioja, and Navarre. It is poorly articulated because its main city, Bilbao, lacks cohesion with the rest of the system.
- Atlantic: Formed by A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, and Vigo. Currently has little economic or demographic dynamism.
- Canary Islands: Due to its remoteness, it is not well connected to the rest of the Spanish urban system and is structured around Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
4.2. Metropolitan Areas
The Spanish urban system originated during the economic development and migration between 1960 and 1975. During these years, a large part of the population left rural areas and concentrated in urban areas, reaching 80% of the Spanish population. These migrations led to the growth of both the most important and smaller cities. Three main consequences resulted:
- Consolidation of areas where population and economic activities are concentrated, primarily on the coast and in Madrid.
- Increased importance of seven metropolitan areas: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Seville, Bilbao, and Zaragoza.
- Two large metropolitan areas stand out: Madrid, the center of economic, political, and financial power, and Barcelona, a major economic center with a unique location (by the sea and close to Europe).
4.3. Impact of Urbanization
The large number of inhabitants and economic activities, especially in transport, have resulted in a series of changes in all metropolitan areas of Europe:
- Expansion of their surface area, with the gradual integration of new municipalities within the metropolitan area.
- Dispersion of population and economic and commercial activities throughout the metropolitan area, causing the city center to stagnate and the surrounding towns to grow. This has led to urban sprawl.