Demographics of Spain
From Free net encyclopedia
Spain's population density, lower than that of most European countries and in recent years, following a longstanding pattern in the rest of Europe, rural populations are moving to cities.
Spain has no official religion. The constitution of 1978 abolished the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society. More than 90% of the population are at least nominally Catholic.
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Educational system
About 70% of Spain's student population attends public schools or universities. The remainder attend private schools or universities, the great majority of which are operated by the Catholic Church.
Compulsory education begins with primary school or general basic education for ages 6-16. It is free in public schools and in many private schools, most of which receive government subsidies. Following graduation, students attend either a secondary school offering a general high school diploma or a school of professional study in all fields — law, sciences, humanities, and medicine — and the superior technical schools offer programs in engineering and architecture.
Immigration
According to the Spanish government there are 3.7 million legal foreign residents in Spain. Of these around 500 000 are Morrocan and another half a million are Ecuatorian. More than 300 000 are Romanian and 270 000 are Colombian. A majority of immigrants come from Latin America, Eastern Europe and North Africa. There is also an increasing number of Subsaharan Africans entering Spain, many illegaly crossing the straights of Gibraltar or crossing from Mauritania (or even their home countries) to the Canary Islands. In 2005 alone, the immigrant population of Spain increased by 700 000 people. Spain has the highest immigration rate of the European Union. Source: http://about.reuters.com/dynamic/countrypages/argentina/1137502080nL17757149.ASP (N/A)
Metropolitan areas
The most important metropolitan areas in 2005 are:
- Madrid 5.843.041
- Barcelona 4.686.701
- Valencia 1.623.724
- Sevilla 1.317.098
- Málaga 1.074.074
- Bilbao 947.581
- Asturias (Gijón-Oviedo) 855.199
- Alicante 711.215
- Zaragoza 683.763
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 616.903
- Bahía de Cádiz (Cádiz-Jerez de la Frontera) 615.494
- Murcia 563.272
- Palma de Mallorca 474.035
- Granada 472.638
- Vigo 423.821
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife 420.198
- San Sebastián 399.125
- A Coruña 396.015
- Valladolid 383.894
- Tarragona 375.749
- Cordoba 321.164
- Pamplona 309.631
Statistical indicators
Population: 44,530,100 (January 1 2005 est.)
Age structure (2000 est.):
0-14 years:
15% (male 3,046,379; female 2,866,712)
15-64 years:
68% (male 13,702,947; female 13,618,766)
65 years and over:
17% (male 2,830,607; female 3,931,260) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.1% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 10.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 8.71 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.72 male(s)/female
total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
78.79 years
male:
75.32 years
female:
82.49 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Spaniard(s)
adjective:
Spanish
Ethnic groups: Castilians and Castilian-speakers with Basque, Catalan and Galician minorities.
Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Languages:
- Spanish (official) 74%
- Catalan 17% (co-official in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, and Valencia — see Valencian)
- Galician 7% (co-official in Galicia)
- Basque 2% (co-official in Basque Country).
- Aranese (a variant of Gascon Occitan) is co-official in Val d'Aran, a small valley in the Pyreenes.
Others with no official status:
- Asturian (in Asturias and part of Leon province)
- Aragonese (in Huesca province, Aragon)
- Berber (Ceuta and Melilla)
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
97%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
See also
ca:Demografia d'Espanya es:Demografía de España fr:Démographie de l'Espagne pt:Demografia da Espanha ru:Население Испании zh:西班牙人口