With a protest march in Madrid, tens of thousands of Spaniards have drawn attention to the problem of the massive depopulation of many parts of the country. Dozens of associations and platforms from 23 provinces took part in the rally in the center of the capital.
Large tracts of land almost depopulated
In Spain, 90 percent of the population lives on 30 percent of the land area, in Madrid and on the coasts. The remaining 70 percent live inland, leaving only ten percent of Spaniards.
According to government data, the population density in about 48 percent of all Spanish municipalities is less than 12.5 inhabitants per square kilometer. This is classified in the European Union as low density with depopulation risk. Thousands of villages are already abandoned and some are for sale.
At the rally had the platforms „Teruel existe“ and „Soria Ya!“ who have been trying for years to counteract the problem. The provinces of Teruel in Aragon and Soria in Castile and León are particularly affected by rural exodus. „Soria Ya!“ had predicted before the demo that all 89,000 inhabitants of the province would fit into the football stadium of FC Barcelona.
Government has already announced measures
It was not until Friday that the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez had announced that it would respond to depopulation with an emergency strategy consisting of 70 different measures. Critics accused the government of trying to win votes before the parliamentary election on April 28 – because voters in the country play a key role in the vote. Important points of the plan include better internet connectivity in rural areas and creating new job opportunities especially for young people.
