Spain
Country Data Dashboard
| Government type: | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Capital: | Madrid |
| Languages: | Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in part of Catalonia) <5,000 speakers |
People & Society
Ethnicity (2021 est.)
Religion (2021 est.)
Age structure
Economy
Economic overview
high-income core EU and eurozone economy; strong growth driven by public consumption, tourism, and other service exports; tight labor market despite high structural unemployment; government debt remains high amid deficit reductions; innovation and economic freedom ranked lower than EU and OECD peers
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) in Billion $
Real GDP per capita in $
Exports & Imports in billion $
Top 5 Import Partner in 2022 (44%)
Top 5 Import Commodities in 2022
- crude petroleum 🛢️
- natural gas 💨
- garments 👕
- cars 🚗
- vehicle parts/accessories 🛠️🚗
Top 5 Export Partner in 2022 (44%)
Top 5 Export Commodities in 2022
- cars 🚗
- refined petroleum ⛽
- garments 👕
- packaged medicine 💊
- vehicle parts/accessories 🛠️🚗
Geography
Map
Area
Natural resources
- coal ⚫
- lignite 🪨
- iron ore ⛓️
- copper 🟧🪙
- lead 🪙
- zinc 🔩
- uranium ☢️
- tungsten 🔧
- mercury ⚗️
- pyrites 🪙
- magnesite 🏔️
- fluorspar 💎
- gypsum ⚪🪨
- sepiolite 🪨
- kaolin 🪨
- potash 🪙
- hydropower 💧⚡
- arable land 🌱
Climate
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Historical Background Information
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Spain remained neutral during both World Wars but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39) resulting in a dictatorship. A peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization after Spain joined the EU in 1986 gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy. After a severe recession in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008, Spain has posted solid years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the euro-zone's fourth-largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region.