Spain's over 65s exceed 20 percent of the population for the first time
The Spanish population is ageing with over 65s representing 20 per cent of the population for the first, news statistics show.
According to the latest data from the Institute of National Statistics, Spain registered a new record for 2022 that shows how its population is ageing.
There are now 133 over 65s for every 100 people under 16.
This relentless ageing trend is a result of several factors: birth rates are at a historic low while life expectancy only continues to increase. The birth rate in the past year was 7 births for every 1,000 people and the total number of births reached the lowest number in history, with 338,532 babies born in Spain last year. That's a 39 per cent drop compared to a decade ago.
Also the fertility rate revealed there were only 1.19 children per woman of childbearing age in Spain in 2022, much lower than the rate needed for the population to remain stable which is 2.1 children per woman.
The number of births in Spain have been decreasing gradually over the past century and this has intensified as young people have encountered more obstacles to becoming parents, mainly economic ones.
The pandemic also made things difficult, and now inflation and the cost of living crisis, worsened by the war in Ukraine, are making the future more uncertain for families.
As a result, a record number of young people are postponing having children until later or giving up parenthood altogether.
Meanwhile, life expectancy in Spain is one of the highest in the world and only keeps increasing. Today it stands at 83 years on average, while the European average is 80 years.
But this doesn't mean Spain's population has stopped growing. In fact, it increased by 392,921 people during 2019, surpassing the milestone of 47 million inhabitants, mainly due to the arrival of 748,759 immigrants, which offset the negative balance of the country's low national birth rate.
READ ALSO: Spain’s population hits record 47 million for the first time thanks to immigration
In a report on Monday, the UN said the world's population is expected to reach eight billion on November this year – a net drop in birth rates is observed in several developing countries.
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According to the latest data from the Institute of National Statistics, Spain registered a new record for 2022 that shows how its population is ageing.
There are now 133 over 65s for every 100 people under 16.
This relentless ageing trend is a result of several factors: birth rates are at a historic low while life expectancy only continues to increase. The birth rate in the past year was 7 births for every 1,000 people and the total number of births reached the lowest number in history, with 338,532 babies born in Spain last year. That's a 39 per cent drop compared to a decade ago.
Also the fertility rate revealed there were only 1.19 children per woman of childbearing age in Spain in 2022, much lower than the rate needed for the population to remain stable which is 2.1 children per woman.
The number of births in Spain have been decreasing gradually over the past century and this has intensified as young people have encountered more obstacles to becoming parents, mainly economic ones.
The pandemic also made things difficult, and now inflation and the cost of living crisis, worsened by the war in Ukraine, are making the future more uncertain for families.
As a result, a record number of young people are postponing having children until later or giving up parenthood altogether.
Meanwhile, life expectancy in Spain is one of the highest in the world and only keeps increasing. Today it stands at 83 years on average, while the European average is 80 years.
But this doesn't mean Spain's population has stopped growing. In fact, it increased by 392,921 people during 2019, surpassing the milestone of 47 million inhabitants, mainly due to the arrival of 748,759 immigrants, which offset the negative balance of the country's low national birth rate.
READ ALSO: Spain’s population hits record 47 million for the first time thanks to immigration
In a report on Monday, the UN said the world's population is expected to reach eight billion on November this year – a net drop in birth rates is observed in several developing countries.
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