{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II, but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy, and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently, Spain has emerged from a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008, posting four straight years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen, but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the Eurozone's fourth largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "40 00 N, 4 00 W" }, "Map references": { "text": "Europe" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "505,370 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "498,980 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "6,390 sq km" }, "note": "note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera" }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "1,952.7 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Andorra 63 km; France 646 km; Gibraltar 1.2 km; Portugal 1,224 km; Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km and Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km" }, "note": "note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera" }, "Coastline": { "text": "4,964 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "contiguous zone": { "text": "24 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)" } }, "Climate": { "text": "temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast" }, "Terrain": { "text": "large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in north" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "660 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "54.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 24.9% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 20.1% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "36.8% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "9.1% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "38,000 sq km (2012)" }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { "text": "Tagus river source (shared with Portugal [m]) - 1,006periodic droughts, occasional flooding
volcanism: volcanic activity in the Canary Islands, located off Africa's northwest coast; Teide (3,715 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; La Palma (2,426 m), which last erupted in 1971, is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes; Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano
" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas; Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde" } }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "47,260,584 (July 2021 est.)" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { "text": "Spaniard(s)" }, "adjective": { "text": "Spanish" } }, "Ethnic groups": { "text": "Spanish 84.8%, Moroccan 1.7%, Romanian 1.2%, other 12.3% (2021 est.)", "note": "note: data represent population by country of birth" }, "Languages": { "Languages": { "text": "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" }, "major-language sample(s)": { "text": "After a prolonged recession that began in 2008 in the wake of the global financial crisis, Spain marked the fourth full year of positive economic growth in 2017, with economic activity surpassing its pre-crisis peak, largely because of increased private consumption. The financial crisis of 2008 broke 16 consecutive years of economic growth for Spain, leading to an economic contraction that lasted until late 2013. In that year, the government successfully shored up its struggling banking sector - heavily exposed to the collapse of Spain’s real estate boom - with the help of an EU-funded restructuring and recapitalization program.
Until 2014, contraction in bank lending, fiscal austerity, and high unemployment constrained domestic consumption and investment. The unemployment rate rose from a low of about 8% in 2007 to more than 26% in 2013, but labor reforms prompted a modest reduction to 16.4% in 2017. High unemployment strained Spain's public finances, as spending on social benefits increased while tax revenues fell. Spain’s budget deficit peaked at 11.4% of GDP in 2010, but Spain gradually reduced the deficit to about 3.3% of GDP in 2017. Public debt has increased substantially – from 60.1% of GDP in 2010 to nearly 96.7% in 2017.
Strong export growth helped bring Spain's current account into surplus in 2013 for the first time since 1986 and sustain Spain’s economic growth. Increasing labor productivity and an internal devaluation resulting from moderating labor costs and lower inflation have improved Spain’s export competitiveness and generated foreign investor interest in the economy, restoring FDI flows.
In 2017, the Spanish Government’s minority status constrained its ability to implement controversial labor, pension, health care, tax, and education reforms. The European Commission expects the government to meet its 2017 budget deficit target and anticipates that expected economic growth in 2018 will help the government meet its deficit target. Spain’s borrowing costs are dramatically lower since their peak in mid-2012, and increased economic activity has generated a modest level of inflation, at 2% in 2017.
" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$1,714,860,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$1,923,330,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$1,886,540,000,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { "text": "1.95% (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2018": { "text": "2.43% (2018 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "2.97% (2017 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$36,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$40,800 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$40,300 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2010 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$1,393,351,000,000 (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "0.7% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "1.6% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "1.9% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "A- (2018)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Baa1 (2018)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "A (2019)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "2.6% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "23.2% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "74.2% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "57.7% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "18.5% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "20.6% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "0.6% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "34.1% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-31.4% (2017 est.)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "barley, milk, wheat, olives, grapes, tomatoes, pork, maize, oranges, sugar beet" }, "Industries": { "text": "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" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "4% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "19.057 million (2020 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "4.2%" }, "industry": { "text": "24%" }, "services": { "text": "71.7% (2009)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2019": { "text": "14.13% (2019 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2018": { "text": "15.25% (2018 est.)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "38.3%" }, "male": { "text": "37.1%" }, "female": { "text": "39.7% (2020 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "20.7% (2018 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017": { "text": "34.7 (2017 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2005": { "text": "32 (2005)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "2.5%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "24% (2011)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "498.1 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "539 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "-3.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "98.4% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "99% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "37.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "calendar year" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2019": { "text": "$29.603 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2018": { "text": "$27.206 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2020": { "text": "$392.85 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Exports 2019": { "text": "$486.15 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$499.55 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "France 15%, Germany 11%, Portugal 8%, Italy 8%, United Kingdom 7%, United States 5% (2019)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "cars and vehicle parts, refined petroleum, packaged medicines, delivery trucks, clothing and apparel (2019)" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2020": { "text": "$373.67 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Imports 2019": { "text": "$444.31 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$460.98 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "Germany 13%, France 11%, China 8%, Italy 7% (2019)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "crude petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, natural gas, refined petroleum (2019)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$69.41 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": { "text": "$63.14 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" } }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 2019": { "text": "$2,338,853,000,000 (2019 est.)" }, "Debt - external 2018": { "text": "$2,366,534,000,000 (2018 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "euros (EUR) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "0.82771 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "0.90338 (2019 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2018": { "text": "0.87789 (2018 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "0.7525 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "0.7634 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2020)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "258.6 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "239.5 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "14.18 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "21.85 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "105.9 million kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "47% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "7% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "14% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "32% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "1,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "0 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "1.325 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "150 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "1.361 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "1.296 million bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "562,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "464,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "36.81 million cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "31.27 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "2.888 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "34.63 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "2.548 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "19,455,779 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "41.61 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "55,644,651 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "119 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "well-developed and one of the largest telecom markets in Europe, with average mobile penetration for Europe; regulator has championed competition; LTE is nearly universal with shifts of service to 5G; operator joined government smart cities project; fixed-line broadband is backed by investment in fiber infrastructure; fiber broadband accounts for most of all fixed-line broadband connections; Chinese company Huawei contributes investment to the telecom sector; increased connectivity through submarine cable connection to Brazil; importer of broadcasting equipment from Europe (2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line nearly 42 per 100 and mobile-cellular 119 telephones per 100 persons (2020)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 34; landing points for the MAREA, Tata TGN-Western Europe, Pencan-9, SAT-3/WASC, Canalink, Atlantis-2, Columbus -111, Estepona-Tetouan, FEA, Balalink, ORVAL and PENBAL-5 submarine cables providing connectivity to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Asia, Southeast Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries (2019)" }, "note": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "a mixture of both publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations; overall, hundreds of TV channels are available including national, regional, local, public, and international channels; satellite and cable TV systems available; multiple national radio networks, a large number of regional radio networks, and a larger number of local radio stations; overall, hundreds of radio stations
(2019)" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".es" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "42.54 million (2021 est.)" }, "percent of population": { "text": "93.21% (2020 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "15,850,358 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "33.9 (2020 est.)" } } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "21 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "552" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "80,672,105 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "1,117,070,000 mt-km (2018)" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "EC" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "135 (2020)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "102" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "18" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "16" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "19" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "26" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "23 (2020)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "33" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "14" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "19 (2020)" } }, "Heliports": { "text": "13 (2020)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "10481 km gas, 358 km oil, 4378 km refined products (2017)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "15,333 km (9,699 km electrified) (2017)" }, "standard gauge": { "text": "2,571 km 1.435-m gauge (2,571 km electrified) (2017)" }, "narrow gauge": { "text": "1,207 km 1.000-m gauge (400 km electrified) (2017)" }, "broad gauge": { "text": "11,333 km 1.668-m gauge (6,538 km electrified) (2017)" }, "note": "mixed gauge: 190 km 1.668-m and 1.435m gage (190.1 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified); 4 km 0.600-m gauge" }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "683,175 km (2011)" }, "paved": { "text": "683,175 km (includes 16,205 km of expressways) (2011)" } }, "Waterways": { "text": "1,000 km (2012)" }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "478" }, "by type": { "text": "bulk carrier 1, general cargo 36, oil tanker 24, other 417 (2021)" } }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any \"shared sovereignty\" arrangement; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; after voters in the UK chose to leave the EU in a June 2016 referendum, Spain again proposed shared sovereignty of Gibraltar; UK officials rejected Spain’s joint sovereignty proposal; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; both countries claim Isla Perejil (Leila Island); Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "14,823 (Syria) (mid-year 2021); 418,200 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum, are recognized as refugees, or have received alternative legal stay) (2021)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "6,.92 (mid-year 2021)" }, "note": "note: 199,150 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-March 2022)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "primary transit point in Europe for cocaine from South America and for hashish from Morocco; cocaine is shipped in raw or liquid form with mixed cargo to avoid detection; traffickers ship methamphetamine via express mail; increasing number of indoor cannabis grow operations; illegal labs cutting, mixing, and reconstituting cocaine, and heroin and methamphetamine labs; synthetic drugs, including ketamine and MDMA (ecstasy) transit from Spain to the United States" } } }