The Canary Islands, with 2,236,013 inhabitants, has gained 846,288 since it became an autonomous community, which represents a growth of 60.9% in this period and a population increase of 32.6 points above the national average.
By provinces, the growth has been almost similar since the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands was approved in 1982, since the increase in Las Palmas has been 438,050 residents and in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 408,238.
Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia have gained more than two million inhabitants each and almost 6.5 million between the three since they became autonomous communities, while Asturias, Castilla y León, Galicia and Extremadura have lost a total of 443,000 residents since they became communities.
The comparison between the latest population data provided by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), as of January 1, 2024, and the number of inhabitants of each province on the date - as close as possible - when its community started allows us to draw two demographically very different Spains in these more than four decades of the State of Autonomies.
One is the Spain that gains population, formed fundamentally by the island communities, almost all the provinces of the Mediterranean arc and Madrid, Guadalajara, Toledo, Navarra and Álava/Araba and the other is the Spain that loses inhabitants or does not gain them at the rate of the national average, located in the northwest third and the east and south interiors.
By communities, among the first stand out in absolute figures Madrid, with 2,222,683 more inhabitants since it was constituted as an autonomous community in February 1983; Catalonia, with 2,145,610 more since the end of 1979; Andalusia, with 2,122,129 more residents than at the end of 1981; and the Valencian Community, with 1,626,741 more than in the summer of 1982.
The Balearic population has grown by 83.5%
In percentage, the Balearic Islands has seen its population grow no less than 83.5% in its 41 years as an autonomous community, Murcia 61.5%, the Canary Islands 60.9%, Madrid 46.5%, the Valencian Community 44.1%, Catalonia 36.5%, Andalusia 32.6% and Navarra 32.2%.
All of them have increased their inhabitants above the average of what the State as a whole has done in the same years: Balearic Islands 56.2 percentage points more; Murcia 33.3; Canary Islands 32.6; Madrid 19.2; the Valencian Community 15.8; Catalonia 6.4; Andalusia 4.4; and Navarra 4 points more.
They have also grown in population, but less than the average of the country as a whole in the same years since the approval of their statute Castilla-La Mancha (26.9%, -1.4 points less than the average), La Rioja (26.5%, -1.8 points), Cantabria (14.5%, -13.8 points), Aragon (12.3%, -16.0 points) and Basque Country (5.0%, -25.1 points).
The northwest third of the peninsula loses population
On the opposite side, the northwest third of the peninsula did not stop losing inhabitants with the arrival of the State of Autonomies: Castilla y León has lost 200,033 inhabitants since it was constituted as an autonomous community in February 1983, Asturias 121,624 since January 1982, Galicia 106,898 since April 1981 and Extremadura 15,136 also since February 83.
The largest fall in percentage has been that of Asturias (-10.7%), ahead of Castilla y León (-7.7%), Galicia (-3.8%) and Extremadura (-1.4%).
If compared with the increase in the population of the State as a whole in the same years, the decrease in Asturias has been 39 points greater, in Castilla y León 35 points, in Galicia 32.4 and in Extremadura 28.7.
Guadalajara, at the forefront of population increase
By provinces, those that have gained the most population in relative terms since their autonomous communities were constituted have been Guadalajara, which has almost doubled its inhabitants (94.3% more), Almería (83.5%), Girona (77.8%), Tarragona (71%), Málaga (70.2%) and Alicante/Alacant (70.1%).
On the contrary, those that have lost the most population in the equivalent period have been Ourense (-28.8%), Zamora (-26.3%) and Lugo (-19.84%).
