Spain’s population is currently about 47.3 million. But it is only in modern history that the number of people living in this country has grown to such levels. Until the mid to late 1700s the population never exceeded 10 million, so for most of the land’s colorful history Spain has actually been relatively sparsely populated. This overview starts from year 0 during the era of the Romans, continues with the times of the Vandals, Visigoths and Byzantines, the rule of the Muslims through the rise of the new Christian kingdoms along with raiding Vikings to the united Spain we know today.
It must be noted that what we know of early censuses does not provide a completely accurate picture nor were censuses held very often which combined make correct measurements difficult. And although we have displayed approximate numbers from as early as year 0, researchers disagree on the accuracy of the estimated numbers in many eras of Spain’s history. In other words, “a grain of salt” is useful when you read and interpret the information shown in the graphic.
So, to get technical. The greens columns show the estimated population of Spain at the time (to the extent we have actual or estimated numbers).
In the graphic we display not only the population size but also periods of colder and warmer climate and when major epidemics/pandemics hit the country. Is there a correlation between these factors? It seems a bit hard to find. But these numbers and factors do not include the negative impacts on population numbers caused wars/conflicts, migration, droughts, famines and epidemics/pandemics nor the positive effects of technological innovations in agriculture, food preservation, medicine/hygiene, transportation, irrigation, communication and more. In the end, regardless of what we can explain with verifiable sources and logic, what the numbers say is shown in the graphic above.
Climate
The columns in the background are sometimes bluer which signifies a cooler period and sometimes yellowish, signifying a warmer period. While historians and the census numbers do not provide us with information to build a smooth population development graphic, it seems likely the population increased during the ends of the cooler periods (where the cool temperatures were easing) and grow further during times of warm temperatures. Crops would increase providing more available food for families, trade and a community overall. But we sometimes just don’t have relevant information with this kind of detail to display.
Epidemics/pandemics
In the 180s the plague of Antonius hit Iberia. It probably stemmed from fighting in the near east, was brought back by returning soldiers and might have been a smallpox or a measles outbreak. The Justinian plague in the 540s is considered the first pandemic and the bacterium Yersinia pestis is actually the same that caused the Black Death in the mid-1300s. While this plague may have killed up to 40% of the population of Constantinople, now Istanbul, we do not know a lot about how deadly this disease (nor the plague of Antonius) was in Iberia. The Black Death, considered the second pandemic, hit in 1348 and may have cut the Spanish population in half. Estimates vary between 30% and 60%. It hit just 30 years after the Great Famine which may have had a very significant impact on population numbers as well. Many smaller and some major later outbreaks have influenced population numbers as late as in the 18th century.
And finally, the so-called Spanish flu. So-called because the reason it is called Spanish flu is because it was first mentioned in Spanish media. World War I was ongoing. Spain was not part of WWI and, due to its neutrality, the media were not under the same restrictions as in countries involved in the war. No warring country wanted to let it be known that its population and soldiers struggled with this influenza and it eventually got nicknamed Spanish flu instead. A name that was adopted by international media. In Spain it was actually called the French flu. The virus causing the flu was the H1N1 Influenza A similar to the virus causing the swine flu in 2009. Global death toll numbers vary widely and range from 20 million all the way up to 100 million. The actual number is probably somewhere in between with 30 – 50 million often being cited.
We have an ongoing pandemic currently of course. Although it has (temporarily?) altered the way we live, work and travel it has not been very lethal compared to some of the pandemics from our history. And the impact on population numbers in Spain has so far been very limited.
Find Your Spain!
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