Explaining the Decline of Rural Population in Spain (1900–2018)

The analysis of data at the municipality level from the Municipal Enumerator Books demonstrates that rural population in Spain has declined as a percentage of total population since 1900. A highly granular case study of Asturias, a region in northern Spain, reveals that internal infrastructure and the proximity of a medium-size town were crucial to maintaining population in the countryside. The income gap between rural and urban municipalities, however, also led to significant migration from rural areas.