- Methods and Projects
- Standards and Classifications
Standardised Methodological Report
Population Figures
- 1Contact
- 1.1Contact organisation
National Statistics Institute of Spain
- 1.5Contact mail address
Avenida de Manoteras 50-52 - 28050 Madrid
- 1.1Contact organisation
- 2Metadata update
- 2.1Metadata last certified
27/05/2022
- 2.2Metadata last posted
28/01/2021
- 2.3Metadata last update
27/05/2022
- 2.1Metadata last certified
- 3Statistical presentation
- 3.1Data 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.
- 3.2Classification 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
- Comunidades y Ciudades Autónomas
- 3.3Sector coverage
Resident population in Spain.
- 3.4Statistical 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.
- Age
- 3.5Statistical unit
Persons.
- 3.6Statistical population
Population resident in Spain, in each Autonomous Community and in each province.
- 3.7Reference 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).
- 3.8Time 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.
- 3.9Base period
1 January 2012.
- 3.1Data description
- 4Unit of measure
- 4.1Unit of measure
Number of persons with usual residence in Spain.
- 4.1Unit of measure
- 5Reference period
- 5.1Reference period
1 January and 1 July of each year.
Data referred to the period: SEMESTRAL 2022
- 5.1Reference period
- 6Institutional mandate
- 6.1Legal 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
- 6.2Data 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.
- 6.1Legal acts and other agreements
- 7Confidentiality
- 7.1Confidentiality - 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
- 7.2Confidentiality - 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.
- 7.1Confidentiality - policy
- 8Release policy
- 8.1Release calendar
The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.
- 8.2Release calendar access
The calendar is disseminated on the INEs Internet website (Publications Calendar)
- 8.3User 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
- 8.1Release calendar
- 9Frequency of dissemination
- 9.1Frequency of dissemination
Biannual.
- 9.1Frequency of dissemination
- 10Accessibility and clarity
- 10.1News 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
- 10.2Publications
You can access all information regarding this operation at:
- 10.3On-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:
- 10.4Micro-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.
- 10.5Other
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:
- 10.6Documentation on methodology
This operation's methodology can be found at:
- 10.7Quality documentation
Fields 10.6 to 17.2 of this document are considered to be the user-oriented quality report for this operation.
- 10.1News release
- 11Quality management
- 11.1Quality 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).
- 11.2Quality 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.
- 11.1Quality assurance
- 12Relevance
- 12.1User 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.
- 12.2User 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)
- 12.3Completeness
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%).
- 12.1User needs
- 13Accuracy and reliability
- 13.1Overall 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)
- 13.2Sampling error
Not applicable to this statistical operation, as this is a synthetic statistic prepared using other statistical sources and not a sample survey.
- 13.3Non-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.
- 13.1Overall accuracy
- 14Timeliness and punctuality
- 14.1Timeliness
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).
- 14.2Punctuality
This operation is released within the deadline set out in INE's structural statistics calendar (TP3=0; it is disseminated with no delay).
- 14.1Timeliness
- 15Coherence and Comparability
- 15.1Comparability - 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.
- 15.2Comparability - 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
- 15.3Coherence - 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.
- 15.4Coherence - internal
The data are completely consistent between territories and demographically.
- 15.1Comparability - geographical
- 16Cost and burden
- 16.1Cost 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.
- 16.1Cost and burden
- 17Data revision
- 17.1Data 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).
- 17.2Data 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
- 17.1Data revision - policy
- 18Statistical processing
- 18.1Source 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.
- 18.2Frequency of data collection
Biannual.
- 18.3Data 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.
- 18.4Data 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.
- 18.5Data 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.
- 18.6Adjustment
No adjustment is carried out on the results obtained.
- 18.1Source data
- 19Comment
- 19.1Comment
- 19.1Comment
Contact