Andalusia, with a total number of 8.4 million inhabitants, ranked first on the list of most populous autonomous communities in Spain as of 1st July 2018. The least populated regions of Spain were the two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, both with a population of approximately 84 thousand inhabitants that year. The population of Spain has been in decline for many years and was projected to decrease by nearly one million by 2023.

The population of Spain is dying more than being born

Spain has the lowest fertility rate in the European Union, with barely 1.34 children per woman. According to the most recent data provided by the Spanish Statistics Institute, more people died in Spain than were being born in 2017, with figures reaching over 420 thousand deaths versus 390 thousand newborns.

Immigration countered this trend

One of the key points to balance out this population downtrend in Spain is immigration – Spain’s immigration figures finally started to pick up in 2015 after a downward trend that presumably initiated after the 2008 financial crisis.