Economic Demography in Spain: Regional Differences and International Inequalities (original) (raw)

Spain is positioned between developed and developing countries within a globalized and unequal world, connecting Europe with Africa and Latin America. This position is attractive for the demographic dynamic of migrations: one of the biggest challenges for Europe. Economic crisis has strongly affected the most of Southern European countries, being Spain one of them. Although there are many similarities between European countries, Spain is a country in which regionalisms are strong and there are important differences between regions for demographic and economic dynamics. This research shows these differences through economic geography that takes an essential role for the analysis of inequalities. For example, the proportion of foreigners in 2017 is positioned from 2.94% in Extremadura to 19.27% in the Balearic Islands. The fertility rate during 2016 was from 1 child per woman in Asturias to 2.5 in Melilla and the gross mortality rate fluctuated from 5.74 in Melilla to 12.73 in Asturias. Looking at the unemployment rate, as relevant economic indicator, varied from 9.63 in Navarra to 25.12 in Extremadura according to the data from 2017. Some of these regional differences and inequalities will be analysed in terms of demographic dynamics and economic growth considering the geographical differences of each area and its influence on economic sectors.