Population Figures

• 1. Contact

  • 1.1. Contact organisation

    • National Statistics Institute of Spain

  • 1.5. Contact mail address

    • Avenida de Manoteras 50-52 - 28050 Madrid

• 2. Metadata update

  • 2.1. Metadata last certified

    • 27/05/2022

  • 2.2. Metadata last posted

    • 28/01/2021

  • 2.3. Metadata last update

    • 27/05/2022

• 3. Statistical presentation

  • 3.1. Data description

    • Figures of the population resident in Spain, in each Autonomous Community, in each province and on each island (in the island provinces), broken down according to their basic demographic characteristics.

      These data are used as population reference figures in all of INE's statistical operations (surveys, National Accounts, indicators, etc.) and are broadcast on the international level as Spain's official population data for all purposes.

      Results are provided from 2012, linking with the Intercensal Population Estimates up to this date and with the results of successive population censuses carried out in Spain. This all makes up the historic series of Spain's population figures.

  • 3.2. Classification system
    • • Comunidades y Ciudades Autónomas

        • 01   Andalucía 02   Aragón 03   Asturias, Principado de 04   Balears, Illes 05   Canarias 06   Cantabria 07   Castilla y León 08   Castilla - La Mancha 09   Cataluña 10   Comunitat Valenciana 11   Extremadura 12   Galicia 13   Madrid, Comunidad de 14   Murcia, Región de 15   Navarra, Comunidad Foral de 16   País Vasco 17   Rioja, La 18   Ceuta 19   Melilla

      • Islas

        • 07   Balears, Illes      07071   Formentera      07072   Eivissa      07073   Mallorca      07074   Menorca 35   Palmas, Las      35351   Fuerteventura      35352   Gran Canaria      35353   Lanzarote 38   Santa Cruz de Tenerife      38381   Gomera, La      38382   Hierro, El      38383   Palma, La      38384   Tenerife

      • Nacionalidad

        • 1   Española 2   Extranjera   .

      • Nacionalidad 5

        • 1   Española      2.11   De la Unión Europea sin España      2.12   Del resto de Europa      2.02   De África      2.03   De América      2.04   De Asia      2.05   De Oceanía      555   Apátridas

      • Nacionalidad 8

        • 1   Española 2.11   De la Unión Europea sin España      103   Bélgica      104   Bulgaria      107   Dinamarca      109   Finlandia      110   Francia      113   Irlanda      115   Italia      121   Países Bajos      122   Polonia      123   Portugal      125   Reino Unido      126   Alemania      128   Rumanía      131   Suecia      142   Lituania 2.11.O   De otros países de la Unión Europea sin España 2.12   Del resto de Europa      120   Noruega      132   Suiza      135   Ucrania      137   Moldavia      154   Rusia 2.12.O   De otros países del resto de Europa 2.02   De África      203   Argelia      216   Gambia      217   Ghana      218   Guinea      220   Guinea Ecuatorial      227   Mali      228   Marruecos      230   Mauritania      234   Nigeria      239   Senegal 2.02.O   De otros países de África 2.31   De América del Norte      301   Canadá      302   Estados Unidos de América      303   México 2.32   De Centro América y Caribe      315   Cuba      321   Honduras      323   Nicaragua      326   República Dominicana 2.32.O   De otros países de Centro América y Caribe 2.33   De Sudamérica      340   Argentina      341   Bolivia      342   Brasil      343   Colombia      344   Chile      345   Ecuador      347   Paraguay      348   Perú      350   Uruguay      351   Venezuela 2.33.O   De otros países de Sudamérica 2.04   De Asia      404   Bangladesh      407   China      409   Filipinas      410   India      426   Pakistán 2.04.O   De otros países de Asia 2.05   De Oceanía 555   Apátridas

      • País de nacimiento 1

        • 1   Nacidos en España 2   Nacidos en el extranjero

      • País de nacimiento 3

        • 1   Nacidos en España 2.11   En la Unión Europea sin España 2.12   En el resto de Europa 2.02   En África 2.31   En América del Norte 2.32   En Centroamérica y Caribe 2.33   En Sudamérica 2.04   En Asia 2.05   En Oceanía

      • Provincias

        • 02   Albacete 03   Alicante/Alacant 04   Almería 01   Araba/Álava 33   Asturias 05   Ávila 06   Badajoz 07   Balears, Illes 08   Barcelona 48   Bizkaia 09   Burgos 10   Cáceres 11   Cádiz 39   Cantabria 12   Castellón/Castelló 13   Ciudad Real 14   Córdoba 15   Coruña, A 16   Cuenca 20   Gipuzkoa 17   Girona 18   Granada 19   Guadalajara 21   Huelva 22   Huesca 23   Jaén 24   León 25   Lleida 27   Lugo 28   Madrid 29   Málaga 30   Murcia 31   Navarra 32   Ourense 34   Palencia 35   Palmas, Las 36   Pontevedra 26   Rioja, La 37   Salamanca 38   Santa Cruz de Tenerife 40   Segovia 41   Sevilla 42   Soria 43   Tarragona 44   Teruel 45   Toledo 46   Valencia/València 47   Valladolid 49   Zamora 50   Zaragoza 51   Ceuta 52   Melilla

      • Sexo

        • 1   Hombres 2   Mujeres

  • 3.3. Sector coverage

    • Resident population in Spain.

  • 3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
    • • Age

        • Age in years refers to the number of birthdays reached by the reference date, in other words, the age last birthday.

      • Citizenship

        • Citizenship is defined as the particular legal bond between an individual and his/her State,, acquired by birth or naturalisation, whether by declaration, option, marriage or other means according to the national legislation.

      • Place of birth

        • Place where a person was born, in other words, the place of habitual residence of the mother at the time of birth, determined on the date of collecting data.

      • Province ( Article 141.1 of the Spanish Constitution)

        • The province is a local institution with its own legal status, determined by grouping municipalities and dividing territories in order to fulfil State activities. Any alteration in the provincial limits is to be approved by the General Courts by means of constitutional law.

      • Resident population

        • The population resident in a given geographical scope is defined as those persons who, on the reference date, have established their usual residence therein.

      • Sex

        • Sex refers to the biological sex of the person. According to the WHO, "sex" refers to biological and physiological features defining to men and women, whereas "gender" refers to the roles, behaviour, activities and attributes constructed socially that a specific culture regards as appropriate for men and women. In accordance with this description, the WHO regards "man" and "woman" as sex categories, whereas "male" and "female" are gender categories.

      • Usual residence

        • Place where a person normally spends rest periods, not taking into account temporary absences due to leisure trips, holidays, visits to family and friends, business, visiting friends or relatives or religious pilgrimages. Nevertheless, it is important to highlight that only usual residents in a region will be considered: - Those who, according to the previous definition, would usually have lived therein for a continuous period of at least 12 months. - Those who, according to the previous definition, would have established their usual residence therein less than 12 months ago, but with the intention of remaining therein for at least one year. Where the above circumstances cannot be established, "usual residence" shall mean the place of registered residence.

  • 3.5. Statistical unit

    • Persons.

  • 3.6. Statistical population

    • Population resident in Spain, in each Autonomous Community and in each province.

  • 3.7. Reference area

    • The statistics cover the whole of the national territory, and it is released for the national total, for each one of the Autonomous Communities and Cities, and for the provinces and islands (in the island provinces).

  • 3.8. Time coverage

    • Data are provided referring to 1 July and 1 January of each year, starting in 2012.

      These data link backwards to the Intercensal Population Estimates and successive population censuses carried out in Spain. This all makes up the historic series of Spain's population figures.

  • 3.9. Base period

    • 1 January 2012.

• 4. Unit of measure

  • 4.1. Unit of measure

    • Number of persons with usual residence in Spain.

• 5. Reference period

  • 5.1. Reference period

    • 1 January and 1 July of each year.

      Data referred to the period: SEMESTRAL 2022

• 6. Institutional mandate

  • 6.1. Legal acts and other agreements

    • The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the Statistical Law No. 12/1989 "Public Statistical Function" of May 9, 1989, and Law No. 4/1990 of June 29 on “National Budget of State for the year 1990" amended by Law No. 13/1996 "Fiscal, administrative and social measures" of December 30, 1996, makes compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan. The National Statistical Plan 2009-2012 was approved by the Royal Decree 1663/2008. It contains the statistics that must be developed in the four year period by the State General Administration's services or any other entity dependent on it. All statistics included in the National Statistics Plan are statistics for state purposes and are obligatory. The National Statistics Plan 2021-2024, approved by Royal Decree 1110/2020, of 15  December, is the Plan currently implemented. This statistical operation has governmental purposes, and it is included in the National Statistics Plan 2021-2024. (Statistics of the State Administration).

      Regulation 1260/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European demographic statistics in relation to the provision of data on the resident population.

      The Spanish version of this European Union regulation can be accessed at www.ine.es/normativa/leyes/UE/minine.htm#30321

  • 6.2. Data sharing

    • The exchanges of information needed to elaborate statistics between the INE and the rest of the State statistical offices (Ministerial Departments, independent bodies and administrative bodies depending on the State General Administration), or between these offices and the Autonomic statistical offices, are regulated in the LFEP (Law of the Public Statistic Function). This law also regulates the mechanisms of statistical coordination, and concludes cooperation agreements between the different offices when necessary.

      The Population Figures are provided at the international level as Spain's official population data for all purposes.

• 7. Confidentiality

  • 7.1. Confidentiality - policy

    • The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that the INE cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society

  • 7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment

    • INE provides information on the protection of confidentiality at all stages of the statistical process: INE questionnaires for the operations in the national statistical plan include a legal clause protecting data under statistical confidentiality. Notices prior to data collection announcing a statistical operation notify respondents that data are subject to statistical confidentiality at all stages. For data processing, INE employees have available the INE data protection handbook, which specifies the steps that should be taken at each stage of processing to ensure reporting units' individual data are protected. The microdata files provided to users are anonymised.

      No additional confidentiality measures to those which have already been indicated as standard in all INE operations have been adopted.

• 8. Release policy

  • 8.1. Release calendar

    • The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.

  • 8.2. Release calendar access

    • The calendar is disseminated on the INEs Internet website (Publications Calendar)

  • 8.3. User access

    • The data are released simultaneously according to the advance release calendar to all interested parties by issuing the press release. At the same time, the data are posted on the INE's Internet website (www.ine.es/en) almost immediately after the press release is issued. Also some predefined tailor-made requests are sent to registered users. Some users could receive partial information under embargo as it is publicly described in the European Statistics Code of Practice

• 9. Frequency of dissemination

  • 9.1. Frequency of dissemination

    • Biannual.

• 10. Accessibility and clarity

  • 10.1. News release

    • The results of the statistical operations are normally disseminated by using press releases that can be accessed via both the corresponding menu and the Press Releases Section in the web

  • 10.2. Publications

    • You can access all information regarding this operation at:

      https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176951&menu=ultiDatos&idp=1254735572981

  • 10.3. On-line database

    • INEbase is the system the INE uses to store statistical information on the Internet. It contains all the information the INE produces in electronic formats. The primary organisation of the information follows the theme-based classification of the Inventory of Statistical Operations of the State General Administration . The basic unit of INEbase is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities that lead to obtaining statistical results on a determined sector or subject based on the individually collected data. Also included in the scope of this definition are synthesis preparation.

      The results and documentation relating to this operation can be found at:

      https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176951&menu=resultados&idp=1254735572981

  • 10.4. Micro-data access
    • A lot of statistical operations disseminate public domain anonymized files, available free of charge for downloading in the INE website Microdata Section

      This is a synthetic statistic that was prepared using aggregated results from various statistical sources. There is, therefore, no available microdata for this statistic.

  • 10.5. Other

    • This operation enables users' tailored requests for information not included in the results tables to be addressed, following a feasibility study in any case, by the INE.

      Requests can be made through the Information Area:

      https://www.ine.es/ss/Satellite?c=Page&p=1254735638180&pagename=ProductosYServicios%2FPYSLayout&cid=1254735638180&L=1

  • 10.6. Documentation on methodology

    • This operation's methodology can be found at:

      https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176951&menu=metodologia&idp=1254735572981

  • 10.7. Quality documentation

    • Fields 10.6 to 17.2 of this document are considered to be the user-oriented quality report for this operation.

• 11. Quality management

  • 11.1. Quality assurance

    • Quality assurance framework for the INE statistics is based on the ESSCoP, the European Statistics Code of Practice made by EUROSTAT. The ESSCoP is made up of 16 principles, gathered in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.

      The Population Figures are prepared using all available information on recent demographic developments, with its results being completely consistent with those provided by official statistics on demographic events, particularly, the Vital Statistics, Migration Statistics, and Statistics on Acquisition of Spanish Citizenship of Residents released by INE.

      Because Population Figures is a summary operation of various statistics (Migration Statistics, Vital Statistics and Statistics on Acquisition of Spanish Citizenship of Residents), its quality is dependent on the quality of these statistics, which include filtered and statistically-processed data.

      In addition, coherence between all these statistics is guaranteed at the level of disaggregation published: sex, age, generation, citizenship and country of birth for the different territorial levels (national total, Autonomous Communities, provinces and islands).

  • 11.2. Quality assessment

    • Complete consistency is guaranteed between the Population Figures and figures provided by the 2011 Population and Housing Census and the Intercensal Population Estimates until 1 January 2012, as well as the figures on births, deaths, migrations and acquisitions of Spanish citizenship provided by the Vital Statistics, Migration Statistics and the Statistics on Acquisition of Spanish Citizenship of Residents, respectively.

      The quality of this statistic is mainly derived from the quality of the statistics that it uses.

• 12. Relevance

  • 12.1. User needs

    • Together with the figures of successive population censuses carried out in Spain and those of the Intercensal Population Estimates that link these, these data make up the series of resident population figures in Spain, in each Autonomous Community and in each province. The first user of these is the national statistics system itself; more specifically, they are used by the INE as reference figures in all its statistical products (surveys, National Accounts, indicators, etc.). They are also available to all users who need to analyse the country's demographic development or, in turn, can be used for the production or analysis of other statistical information. In addition, these figures are used by international agencies as the official population of Spain for all purposes.

      Municipal information is not available, the only municipal population data available is that of the resident population according to the Continuous Register Statistics.

  • 12.2. User satisfaction

    • The INE has carried out general user satisfaction surveys in 2007, 2010, 2013,  2016 and 2019 and it plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose of these surveys is to find out what users think about the quality of the information of the INE statistics and the extent to which their needs of information are covered. In addition, additional surveys are carried out in order to acknowledge better other fields such as dissemination of the information, quality of some publications...

      On the INE website, in its section Methods and Projects / Quality and Code of Practice / INE quality management / User surveys are available surveys conducted to date.(Click  next link)

       

  • 12.3. Completeness

    • This operation provides all the information required by Regulation 1260/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European demographic statistics regarding the resident population figures.

      The available obligatory results rate is, therefore, 100% (R1=100%).

• 13. Accuracy and reliability

  • 13.1. Overall accuracy

    • There are no available accuracy measures for the results of this operation. However, this operation is prepared from information provided by the statistics of constantly occurring demographic events, so the accuracy of their results depends on the accuracy of the information sources used.

      The main sources of error are described in the methodology sheets of the statistics that contribute to the Population Figures: Migration Statistics, Vital Statistics and Statistics on Acquisition of Spanish Citizenship of Residents.

      Being the Population Figures synthesis statistics based on administrative sources, they are not affected by sampling errors. Non-sampling errors may come from both the sources and the information treatment in this operation (lack of coverage, measurement errors). The direct measurement of accuracy in this case is not considered possible. The main instrument for analyzing the accuracy is the analysis of the revisions. The revisions show the degree of proximity between subsequent estimators of the same value, and it is reasonable to assume that the estimators converge on the true value when they are based on better and more reliable data. (See 17.2)

  • 13.2. Sampling error

    • Not applicable to this statistical operation, as this is a synthetic statistic prepared using other statistical sources and not a sample survey.

  • 13.3. Non-sampling error

    • As this is a synthetic operation, based on the statistical processing of data from register sources (see section 18.1), this statistical operation's non-sampling errors are those coming from the statistical operations used to obtain the Population Figures: Migration Statistics, Vital Statistics and Statistics on Acquisition of Spanish Citizenship of Residents.

• 14. Timeliness and punctuality

  • 14.1. Timeliness

    • These results are published biannually, referring to 1 January and 1 July of each year. Provisional results are released 6 months after the reference date of the data (TP1=6 months). Definitive data is released 12 months after the reference date (TP2= 12 months).

  • 14.2. Punctuality

    • This operation is released within the deadline set out in INE's structural statistics calendar (TP3=0; it is disseminated with no delay).

• 15. Coherence and Comparability

  • 15.1. Comparability - geographical

    • The results are completely consistent between territories at all levels of disaggregation. In addition, they are calculated based on the definitions established in European Regulations 1260/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European demographic statistics and 862/2007 on migration statistics and international protection and supported by the United Nations, which favours their international comparability.

  • 15.2. Comparability - over time

    • The Population Figures constitute the definitive series of resident population figures in Spain since 2012. For each year, data are provided to 1 January and 1 July, starting with 1 July 2012. In addition, the series of results links backwards to the Intercensal Population Estimates to 1 January 2012, and with the successive Population Censuses carried out in Spain.

      The length of the series of comparable data published on Population Figures is, currently, 20 reference dates. If we take into account the total series of data on the resident population in Spain since 1971, the length of the series is 103. If we add the figures from Population Censuses before 1970 to this, the length of the series would be greater than 110. That is:

      • CC2(Population Figures since 2012) = 20
      • CC2(Population Figures + Intercensal Population Estimates since 1971) =103
  • 15.3. Coherence - cross domain

    • The Population Figures are formed according to the concepts and definitions established by Eurostat in Regulation 1260/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European demographic statistics, which favours their international comparability.

      The Population Figures, or an advance estimate of these if required by the calendar, are used in the INE for the generalisation of statistical production from sample surveys (calculation of elevation factors and calibrated), as well as the calculation of the most diverse statistical indicators that require population data and the National Accounts. They are, therefore, consistent with the data provided by these sources.

      There is another main information source on the resident population in Spain, which is that provided by the Official Population Figures of the Spanish Municipalities, but their different purpose (to provide information on the population at the municipal level) and nature (purely administrative) means that they have different methodologies and, therefore, different results.

  • 15.4. Coherence - internal

    • The data are completely consistent between territories and demographically.

• 16. Cost and burden

  • 16.1. Cost and burden

    • This is a synthetic statistic, prepared using other sources. Therefore, it does not require the collaboration of respondent units and does not generate data collection costs.

      The estimated budgetary appropriation needed to finance this statistic, as provided for in the 2022 Annual Programme of the 2021-2024 National Statistics Plan is 111.92 thousand Euros.

• 17. Data revision

  • 17.1. Data revision - policy

    • The INE of Spain has a policy which regulates the basic aspects of statistical data revision, seeking to ensure process transparency and product quality. This policy is laid out in the document approved by the INE board of directors on 13 March of 2015, which is available on the INE website, in the section "Methods and projects/Quality and Code of Practice/INE’s Quality management/INE’s Revision policy" (link).

      This general policy sets the criteria that the different type of revisions should follow:  routine revision- it is the case of statistics whose production process includes regular revisions-; more extensive revision- when methodological or basic reference source changes take place-; and exceptional revision- for instance, when an error appears in a published statistic-.

      The reviews are dependent on the availability of new data for the reference date. The definitive results released 12 months after the reference date review those previously released as provisional (6 months after the reference date).

  • 17.2. Data revision - practice

    • The provisional data for this operation, released six months after the reference date, are reviewed using the corresponding definitive data 12 months after the reference date. The most relevant indicators are the following, and have been obtained from the populations as of 1 January and 1 July since 1 July 2012 to 1 January 2021:

      • MAR(total population) = 4,048
      • RMAR(total population) = 0.00009
      • MR(total population) = 3,536

      • MAR(Spanish population) = 10,661
      • RMAR(Spanish population) = 0.00025
      • MR(Spanish population) = 10,661

      • MAR(foreign population) = 8,204
      • RMAR(foreign population) = 0.00172
      • MR(foreign population) = -7,215

• 18. Statistical processing

  • 18.1. Source data

    • This is a synthetic statistical operation, prepared using results from different sources. Specifically, the following sources are used:

      - 2001-2011 Intercensal Population Estimates, as a starting point, from the 2011 Population and Housing Census.

      - Vital Statistics, from the statistical processing of data from the Civil Register.

      - Migration Statistics, from the statistical processing of changes in the Municipal Register.

      - Acquisitions of Spanish citizenship, from the statistical processing of data from the Civil Registry.

  • 18.2. Frequency of data collection

    • Biannual.

  • 18.3. Data collection

    • Data are processed taking the starting point as this operation's results referring to 1 January of the last available year (results of the 2001-2011 Intercensal Population Estimates to 1 January 2012 are the original starting point) and from a record of demographic events that have occurred since that date.

  • 18.4. Data validation

    • Multiple coherence analyses of the evolution of resident population figures and of these compared to data from different demographic statistical sources are carried out.

  • 18.5. Data compilation

    • The starting point is taken to be this operation's results to 1 January of the last available year (the original starting point are the results of the 2001-2011 Intercensal Population Estimates to 1 January 2012) and records are kept of demographic events that have occurred from this date between individuals of each generation of each population group considered.

  • 18.6. Adjustment

    • No adjustment is carried out on the results obtained.

• 19. Comment

  • 19.1. Comment