Spain Population 2015

﻿Spain, officially known as the Kingdom of Spain, is a sovereign state and a member state of the European Union, situated on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwest Europe. To the south, it’s bordered by the Mediterranean Sea apart from a small boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast it is bordered by France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay; while to the west and northwest it borders the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. The 754 miles (1,214 km) of border with Portugal is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union. The country is a democracy under a constitutional monarchy and is organized in a parliamentary style of government. It’s a developed country and is the 13th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP. The Kingdom of Spain has very high standards as well as the 10th highest quality of life index rating in the world as of 2005 statistics.

Spain Population 2014

The population of Spain was last recorded in 2012 as 46.6 million people. This is a significant figure since the total population back in 1960 was 30.5 million as reported by Eurostat - a 52% increase over the last half-century. The 2014 estimate is 46.96 million, its all-time high compared to a record low of 30.46 million in December 1960. The figure now represents 0.67% of the world’s population, which means that one in every 151 people is a resident of Spain.

Spain Population History

The population of Spain has been on a rise, especially after the adoption of the 3-month amnesty program by the government that allowed immigrants to be awarded legal status as residents of Spain. When the population struck the 40 million mark, the population density stood at about 79 persons per square kilometer.

The population growth rate experienced a drastic rise at the start of the 20th century due to a boom in the industrial sectors of Spain, and even more so in the 1960s and 1970s. However, this was compounded by uneven distribution in the population over time. Urban areas witnessed massive growth, with the Spanish villages experiencing huge drops. In the 1980s, when the economy faced a lot of stalemate, population growth was also directly affected. The state of the economy also forced some of the Spanish citizens to migrate to other European countries, negatively impacting population growth.

The growth rate was, however, restored in the 1990s. The citizenry of the Kingdom of Spain is a mixture of natives as well as various foreign immigrants. Spain’s population has increased significantly as a result of migration from Latin America, East Europe, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. People are migrating to Spain in large numbers, mainly to spend their retirement days along the coastline but also due to the many opportunities for businesses to thrive.

As of 2009, the number of residents was at 46,661,950 and the population density stood at 90 people per square kilometer (or 231 per square mile). Despite the fact that the population has been on a steady increase, large sections of people are concentrated in the major cities of Spain such as Madrid and Barcelona. The rural areas of the country, despite the steady growth, have experienced declining population.

Spain Life Expectancy

Spain’s life expectancy is the highest in Europe, surpassing even the likes of Australia, US, Canada and Norway. Life expectancy is 79.0 for males and 85.2 for females, which averages to a total life expectancy of 82.1. This places the Kingdom of Spain at rank 7 in World Life Expectancy, according to a WHO report published back in April 2011.

The life expectancy at birth gives the number of years an infant would live if the prevailing mortality conditions at the time of birth were to stay the same all throughout his or her lifetime. Spain has the 3rd lowest level of lives lost in the world. Some attribute this to the Mediterranean diet, while others say it’s because the country is performing well against causes of death such as various types of cancer.


According to the census in 2008, 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 1.47 is subsequently lower than the EU average, but there has been a rise in the rate ever since the late 1990s. The birth rate rose from 9.10 births per 1000 people to 10.9 over a period of ten years from 1996 to 2006.

The Kingdom of Spain currently has no official religion. This is despite the fact that 70% of the population prefer to identify themselves as Catholic. The constitution of 1978 removed Roman Catholicism as the official state religion. While large portions of the population are believed to be Catholic, 63% confirmed that they never attend any religious services in the country.

Spain Population Clock
What is the population of Spain (as of [[date]])? [[getCurrentPopulation()]]
Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2015) [[getLastEstimate()]]
Births Per Day 6,131
Deaths Per Day 5,886
Net Migrations Per Day 1,370
Net Change Per Day 1,615
Population Change Since January 1st [[getPopChangeThisYear()]]
  • Net [[getIncreaseOrDecrease()]] of 1 person every [[getDurationPerPerson()]]

  • Population estimated based on interpolation of World Population Prospects data.

Spain Population Indicators
Indicator Value World Ranking
Median (Average) Age 42.24 years 14th
Crude Birth Rate 9.424 births/thousand 177th
Crude Death Rate 9.047 deaths/thousand 66th
Crude Net Migration Rate 2.106 people/thousand 30th
Life Expectancy (Both Sexes) 82.76 years 7th
Life Expectancy (Male) 79.52 years 15th
Life Expectancy (Female) 86 years 3rd
Total Fertility Rate 1.568 children/woman 164th
Net Reproduction Rate 0.754 surviving daughters/woman 163rd
Sex Ratio At Birth 1.064 males per female 23rd
Infant Mortality Rate 2.777 deaths/1,000 live births 175th
Under Five Mortality 3.639 deaths/thousand 173rd
Mean Age at Childbearing 30.925 years 17th

Population Data via United Nations WPP

Spain Population Growth

Eurostar has projected that by the year 2060, the total population of Spain will stand at 52 million. Since reports of real-time population analysis indicate there are currently about 47 million residents, the population is bound to grow, albeit slowly, over the next few decades.

According to a 2012 estimate, the population growth rate is 0.654%, pointing to the fact that Spain is set to experience slow but steady population growth over the years.

Data Sources