Spain - Deaths





Spain: Deaths

Mnemonic DTH.IESP
Unit #, NSA
Adjustments Not Seasonally Adjusted
Annual 17.73 %
Data 2020 492,930
2019 418,703

Series Information

Source National Institute of Statistics (INE)
Release Vital Statistics
Frequency Annual
Start Date 12/31/1975
End Date 12/31/2020

Spain: Demographics

Reference Last Previous Units Frequency
Deaths 2020 492,930 418,703 #, NSA Annual
Population 2020 47,329,981 46,937,059 # Annual
Net Migration 2017 200,000 # Annual
Birth Rate 2016 8.7 9 # per Ths. pop. Annual
Births Jun 2014 34,964 35,813 #, NSA Monthly
Death Rate 2003 9.1 # per Ths. pop. Annual

Release Information

Vital Statistics, which basically refer to the births, marriages and deaths occurring within the Spanish territory, constitute one of the most traditional statistical operations in the National Statistics Institute. The first volume was published in 1863 by the National General Board of Statistics, and contains data on the period from 1858 to 1861, which was obtained from parish registers. Since that time, information has consistently been published in Spain regarding these demographic phenomena, with the sole interruption during the period from 1871 to 1885, the time when the Civil Register was implemented, and from which data was subsequently obtained for these statistics.

The demographic concepts used for the compilation of these publications have been practically the same every year, without any variations other than those caused by the change in the information source, which fundamentally consists of the replacement of baptised persons by those registered in the Civil Register, and of Catholic marriage by civil marriage.

As with the rest of the Vital Statistics, the Birth Statistics collect the data from the statistical registers filled out at the time of registering these demographic facts in the Civil Register. This circumstance has traditionally motivated the use, in the Vital Statistics, of the concepts of newborn, deceased infant, marriage and death, with the meanings given them in the Civil Code.

From a theoretical perspective, a late foetal death is the death of a viable product of conception, before complete expulsion or extraction from its mother. This viability is precisely what serves to differentiate between late foetal deaths and miscarriages. Traditionally, the World Health Organisation identifies the viability of a foetus with a gestational age of more than 28 complete weeks of pregnancy. Nevertheless, currently, the W.H.O. recommends the use of the weight criterion at the time of expulsion or extraction of the foetus, although the number of grams that should be considered as the limit for viability is subject to debate.

The Birth Statistics and Late Foetal Death Statistics are completed with the Childbirth Statistics. The definition of childbirth used in these statistics coincides with the medical-biological concept, that is, the expulsion or extraction of a viable product of conception from its mother. Therefore, miscarriage or expulsion of the unviable foetus is excluded.

The Marriage Statistics experienced an important variation in the year 2005, for the purpose of the entry into force of Law 13/2005, of 1 July (B.O.E. of 2 July 2005), modifying the Civil Code in terms of the right to marry. Said law allows marriages between persons of the same or different sexes, with complete and equal rights and responsibilities, irregardless of the composition of said marriages. The sex variable of each of the spouses was introduced in the statistical register. These statistics include all marriages registered in the Civil Register.

Collection method of the data:

The data is collected from the corresponding childbirth, marriage and death registers, published for this same purpose by the National Statistics Institute. These registers are sent to each Civil Register, where they are completed and returned to the INE Delegation in the corresponding province. These registers are recorded in the computers of the provincial delegations of the INE. There, they carry out the necessary verifications and correct any errors detected. The Electoral Census is notified of deaths, in order to proceed to delisting the deceased. Each Municipal Council is notified of births and deaths, in order to proceed to delisting the deceased and registering the births. In those provinces in which there is a partnership agreement with the Autonomous Community for the compilation of these statistics, the former must send the latter the recording and documentation established in the signed agreement. Subsequently, all of the information is transmitted to the Central Services of the INE, where the data processing continues, carrying out the phases of filtering and automatic imputation, until the corresponding publications are obtained.

Data is subject to revisions.

For more information, please visit: http://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=/t20/e304/&file=inebase