Reference News Network, November 26 report: According to the "Nikkei Shimbun" on November 24, Spain's population is increasing rapidly. The reason is that Germany and the United Kingdom tend to limit immigration, while in sharp contrast, Spain actively accepts immigrants. Spain's population is approaching 50 million, and economic indicators are also showing strong performance. Spain's per capita GDP has now exceeded Japan's.
According to data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute, as of October 1, the country's population was 49.44 million. In recent years, the country's population has been growing at an annual rate of about 1%, significantly higher than neighboring countries such as France (0.25% growth in 2024). If this trend continues, Spain's population is expected to exceed 50 million within two years.
The main factor promoting Spain's population growth is immigration from Latin America and Africa. Spain's total fertility rate is only 1.12, which is the lowest among major European countries, close to Japan's (1.15), making it difficult to achieve natural population growth.
The Sánchez government in Spain hopes to alleviate labor shortages caused by aging and low birth rates by introducing immigrants. Spain introduced a new immigration policy in May this year, aiming to provide legal status for 900,000 undocumented immigrants within three years.
Immigrants born outside of Spain account for nearly 20% of the total population. During the 2010s of the 21st century, due to the impact of the European financial crisis, many people went abroad to find jobs, and Spain once experienced a situation where the number of people leaving the country exceeded the number of immigrants entering. However, this trend has now reversed.
About 80% of immigrants are employed, and they are an important force in industries such as agriculture, construction, and catering. It is said that hiring migrant caregivers for home care is cheaper than institutional care, so it is common to see elderly people walking in residential areas with foreign caregivers.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Spain's GDP growth rate in 2025 is expected to be 2.9%, higher than Germany (0.2%) and France (0.7%). Calculated in U.S. dollars, Spain's per capita GDP in 2024 has already exceeded Japan's. Spain's fiscal situation had once encountered problems during the debt crisis, but it is currently improving as well.
Elma Cis, Minister of Immigration, Social Inclusion and Public Security in Spain, said: "Spain's immigration model has brought common prosperity." According to estimates by relevant Spanish institutions, Spain needs to add 2.4 million workers in the next decade to maintain productivity, and immigration is an indispensable force.
One of the background factors for the success of Spain's immigration policy is the high proportion of Latin American immigrants, who are relatively easy to integrate into local society. Due to historical colonial relations, Spain and Latin American countries share commonalities in language and Catholic faith. (Translated by Ma Xiaoyun)
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7576951679833162282/
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