SPAIN´S POPULATION IN 2015

Spain's population is unevenly distributed according to historical factors. Big cities like Madrid or Barcelona have a population density of 700inhabitants per square kilometer while rural areas have a population density of less than 50 inhabitants per square kilometer.

During the last centuries there have been some historical factors that have affected the distribution of Spain´s population: In the late 19^th century there was a population growth, and most of the people came to the industries of coastal and island regions. Later, in the 20^th (during the 1970s), there was an economic crisis that rose unemployment, making coastal areas lose much of their population. Also, there was a modernization of the countryside in the late 20th century, and the predominance of the tertiary sector consolidated the heavily populated areas of Madrid, the Mediterranean coast, Andalusia, Cantabria and the Canary Islands.

Socioeconomic and geographical factors also affect the population distribution, because nowadays, people are mostly located in areas where you can find a wide range of jobs and industries. And people, usually like to live in coastal areas with temperate climates.

Almost 60% of Spain's population is part of Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid. Nevertheless, the majority of each province's population is located in their capitals.