Older and with more immigration. Catalonia has, as of the end of 2023, more than 8 million inhabitants. A total of 8,005,784 people, according to the latest data from Idescat. This threshold was reached earlier than expected – projections expected to reach this point in 2030 – thanks to the arrival of the migrant population. The majority of these 8 million Catalans live in Barcelona and surrounding areas.
It is a Barcelona that goes far beyond the city itself and the 36 municipalities that make up the metropolitan area. Today the vast majority of the population is gathered in the metropolitan region, which includes 160 municipalities and 5.4 million inhabitants. Due to its population weight, industrial and business fabric and proximity to the metropolis, this area is the great economic engine of Catalonia and one of the main ones in southern Europe and the Mediterranean.
That 70% of the population lives in the counties of Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Maresme, Garraf, Vallès Occidental and Vallès Oriental, means that the remaining 30% are distributed throughout the rest of the Catalan territory. There are 2.6 million people distributed in the rest of Catalonia, which includes 787 municipalities, 83% of the total of Catalan towns.
This unequal distribution also has its translation at the polls. In the province of Barcelona, ??the most populated, 85 deputies are chosen, in Girona 17 are elected, in Tarragona, 18 and in Lleida, 15. This unequal distribution makes a seat in Lleida or Girona cheaper than a seat in Barcelona : More votes are needed to get a deputy in the Parliament in Barcelona than in the rest of the provinces.
In the last 35 years, the Catalan population has experienced a notable change, going from 6 million in 1987 to 8 in 2023. The increase in life expectancy creates a much older population pyramid. In 1987, life expectancy was 77.2 years, while today it is 83.6 years. In addition, the proportion of the foreign population, which has gone from 1.1% in 1987 to 16.3% today. This new demographic reality is the one that will go to the polls on April 12.
