We are scientists!: 5.3. Characteristics of Spanish population

The Spanish population increased steadily during the 20th century. In 1900, there were approximately 18 billion inhabitants in Spain. Today, Spain's population is about 46 million.

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Demographics

According to the census in 2016, Spain had about 46,157,822 inhabitants. This translated to a population density of about 91.4 people per square kilometer, or 229 per square mile. The population density is lower than that of most other Western European Countries. With the exception of Madrid, the capital of Spain, the populous regions in the Kingdom of Spain are along the coastline of the country.

During the 20th century, the population of Spain doubled, although the trend was uneven due to large-scale internal migration from rural areas to urban areas with core industries in the economy. The same internal migration practice was witnessed in other Western European countries as the preference for urban cities with industries of importance to the economy grew. At least 11 of the 50 provinces in the country experienced negative population growth during this century.

A sharp drop in the birth rates was witnessed during the last quarter of the 20th century. Spain’s fertility rate of 1.49 is subsequently lower than the EU average.