Demographics

Spain has the fifth largest population in the European Union. It has a notably young population, bolstered by the sharp increase in immigration. The main figures are given in the table below.

POPULATION
Total Population	46,157,822
Growth Rate	1.9%
Distribution by Age	0-15 15.3%
	16-44 43.8%
	45-64 24.2%
	65+ 16.7%
Population Density	91.44 inhabitants/km2
Urban Population	77.40%
Working Population	60.13%
Working Population by Industry(See more)	Agriculture 4.05%
	Industry 15.32%
	Construction 10.98%
	Services 69.65%
Demographic Composition (See more)	88.66% Spaniards / 11.33% foreign population
Religion	76.6% - Catholic
Official Language	Castilian is the official State language. Other Spanish languages also have official status in their respective Autonomous Communities, in accordance with their Charters of Autonomy. (Article 3 of the Constitution)

Source: National Statistics Institute. Data at January 1, 2008. Municipal Register report. Working population with data from Q4 of 2008.

Variation in working population by industry (%)

	2006	2007	2008*
Agriculture	4.60	4.42	4.05
Industry	16.59	16.01	15.32
Construction	13.12	13.16	10.98
Services	65.69	66.41	69.65

Source: National Statistics Institute. Q4 2008.

Foreigners resident in Spain by continent of origin

	2006	2007	2008*
Europe	1,028,678	1,661,636	1,917,069
The Americas	1,083,025	1,234,688	1,354,158
Asia	197,965	238,740	270,210
Africa	709,174	841,561	922,635
Oceania	1,819	1,989	1,839
Unknown	1,147	1,130	7,588
TOTAL	3,021,808	3,979,744	4,473,499

Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Figures at December 31, 2008

 

Political Structure

POLITICAL FRAMEWORK
Political structure of State	Parliamentary Monarchy
Head of State	King Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, since April 17th, 2004 and has been reelected on March 9th, 2008.
Parliament	Lower House (350 members) and Upper House (259 members)
Party in power	Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE)
Territorial organization	Territorially, the State is organized into municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities. There are 17 autonomous communities and two cities (Ceuta and Melilla).
European Union	Member State since 1986

 

 

Economy

Spain is a dynamic country with an advanced economic model, in which the services sector and industry account for over 80% of GDP.

ECONOMIC DATA
Currency	Euro, divided into 100 cents
Real growth in GDP (See chart)	1.1% (2008 GDP)
GDP per capita	26,700 euros
Inflation	0.8%*
Public Accounts	Budget deficit of 1.3 % in 2008 (Bank of Spain)**

*Aggregate average until June 2008
** Until May 2008 the State recorded a surplus of €2,722 billion which accounts for 0.2% of Spain's GDP (Bank of Spain)

Source: Eurostat, National Statistics Institute, Bank of Spain

Source: Eurostat

Trade and investment

In recent years, the rapid growth in imports and exports has made Spain one of the most internationally-oriented countries in the world, with figures for Spanish foreign investment reaching $120,000 million in 2007.

Spain's main trading partners are the 27-nation EU Member States, accounting for 69.2% of total exports and 54.9% of imports, followed by Asia and Africa, which, having recorded significant increases in 2008 in their exports (7.8% and 22.3%, respectively) and imports (9.3% and 31.7%, respectively) with Spain, have displaced Latin and North America from their traditional role as Spain’s main trade partners outside the EU.

Spain is one of the most active countries trading goods and services. With regards to the trading of goods, it is ranked 17th in the world as an exporter and 11th as an importer; while in the trading of services it occupies 5th place as an exporter and 8th place as an importer.

The Spanish share in global export and import of goods (Spanish exports/global exports) is 1.70% and 2.60% respectively. The Spanish share in global export and import of services stands at 3.90% and 3.20%.

The breakdown by industry of foreign trade is relatively diversified, as can be seen in the following table:

Breakdown of main exports and imports in 2008* (as % of total)

EXPORTS		IMPORTS
Capital goods	20.3%	Capital goods	22.1%
Automobile industry	17.6%	Energy products	20.2%
Food	14.0%	Chemical products	12.4%
Chemical products	13.4%	Automobile industry	11.9%
Semi-manufactured non-chemical products	13.2%	Food	9.1%
Consumer goods	8.2%	Consumer goods	9.1%
Energy products	6.4%	Semi-manufactured non-chemical products	8.5%
Durable consumer goods	2.7%	Raw materials	3.6%
Other goods	2.3%	Durable consumer goods	2.7%
Raw materials	1.9%	Other goods	0.4%

* Data available at May 2008
Source: Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade

With regard to investment, it is worth highlighting the increase in inward investment received since 1996. In recent years, Spain has been one of the main recipients of foreign direct investment. According to the World International Report 2008, in 2007 Spain ranked sixth among the top developed-country recipients of foreign direct investment. FDI increased to $53 billion, reaching a new record high.

Proof of how highly developed the Spanish economy is, is the fact that, since 1997, the outward investment flows have outstripped inward investment flows.

Spain is also a highly attractive country for the financial markets, as shown by the figures for portfolio investment (see chart below) which accounted for over 13% of the GDP until 2007. This is due to the dynamism and innovative nature of the Spanish financial system.

Source: Bank of Spain
* Data available at January 2009.
With regard to the graphic above the data by the end of January 2009 is the following: Direct Investment 0.34; Portfolio Investment 3.44; Total 3.78 (in € billion).

 

Infrastructure

Spain is ranked 3rd in the EU in terms of the number of high-capacity toll roads and highways and 2nd in terms of the number of kilometers of high-speed railway tracks. In addition, it boasts 49 airports and 53 international ports which, when combined with the countries geostrategic position, make Spain one of the leading hubs for passenger and goods transportation.

Of even greater importance is the Transportation Infrastructure Strategic Plan, with total investments of €248 billion projected for the 2005-2020 period. In this regard, 25% of the Plan had already been met in 2008.

The table below sets out some of the more noteworthy facts and figures relating to Spain's infrastructure:

INFRASTRUCTURE
Investment	248,892 million until 2020
Highways	14,000 km (high capacity)
Railway	16,530 km
Airports	250 airlines at 49 airports
Ports	53 international ports
Technology	Extensive fiber optic cable network and one of the largest undersea cable and satellite-link networks.

 

For more information you can download the following document:

Spain: a profile (629kb.)

Prepared by Garrigues

Last updated: 18|05|2009