Introduction
Background
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy, and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights.
Geography
Area
total: 505,370 sq km
land: 498,980 sq km
water: 6,390 sq km
Climate
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Natural resources
coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land
People and Society
Population
47,222,613 (2023 est.)
Ethnic groups
Spanish 84.8%, Moroccan 1.7%, Romanian 1.2%, other 12.3% (2021 est.)
Languages
Castilian Spanish (official nationwide) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian)) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and in the Basque-speaking area of Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in the northwest corner of Catalonia (Vall d'Aran) along with Catalan, <5,000 speakers); note - Aragonese, Aranese Asturian, Basque, Calo, Catalan, Galician, and Valencian are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
Religions
Roman Catholic 58.2%, atheist 16.2%, agnostic 10.8%, other 2.7%, non-believer 10.5%, unspecified 1.7% (2021 est.)
Population growth rate
0.12% (2023 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital
name: Madrid
Executive branch
chief of state: King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014); Heir Apparent Princess LEONOR, Princess of Asturias (daughter of the monarch, born 31 October 2005)
head of government: President of the Government of Spain (prime minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ PEREZ-CASTEJON (since 2 June 2018); Vice President Nadia Maria CALVINO Santamaria (since 12 July 2021)
Legislative branch
description: bicameral General Courts or Las Cortes Generales consists of:
Senate or Senado (265 seats; 208 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 57 members indirectly elected by the legislatures of the autonomous communities; members serve 4-year terms)
Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; 348 members directly elected in 50 multi-seat constituencies by closed-list proportional representation vote, with a 3% threshold needed to gain a seat, and 2 directly elected from the North African Ceuta and Melilla enclaves by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms or until the government is dissolved)
Economy
Economic overview
high-income core EU economy; diversified trade portfolio; continental tourism locale; high government spending and debt; prone to political financing corruption; negatively impacted by COVID-19; important port and customs infrastructure; key clothing/footwear supplier
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$1.798 trillion (2021 est.)
$1.704 trillion (2020 est.)
$1.921 trillion (2019 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$37,900 (2021 est.)
$36,000 (2020 est.)
$40,800 (2019 est.)
Agricultural products
barley, milk, wheat, olives, grapes, tomatoes, pork, maize, oranges, sugar beets
Industries
textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment
Remittances
0.28% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.23% of GDP (2020 est.)
0.23% of GDP (2019 est.)
Exports
$497.868 billion (2021 est.)
$393.774 billion (2020 est.)
$486.633 billion (2019 est.)
Exports - partners
France 15%, Germany 11%, Italy 8%, Portugal 8%, United Kingdom 7%, United States 5% (2019)
Exports - commodities
cars and vehicle parts, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, delivery trucks, clothing and apparel (2019)
Imports
$476.678 billion (2021 est.)
$375.087 billion (2020 est.)
$445.719 billion (2019 est.)
Imports - partners
Germany 13%, France 11%, China 8%, Italy 7% (2019)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, natural gas, refined petroleum (2019)
Exchange rates
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)
0.847 (2018 est.)
0.885 (2017 est.)
Page last updated: Wednesday, December 13, 2023
