THE NATIONAL SYSTEM OF DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICS
Population Structure
Censuses in Spain were already taken in the second half of the eighteenth century, in 1768, 1787, and 1797. But
afterwards there was a long break in the population statistics in Spain. The next available census dates only from
the year 1857, after which census-taking became regular. Nevertheless it should be noted that coverage of
Spanish censuses remained comparatively low compared with French or Prussian statistics of that time.
Significant for Spanish census statistics is the very strong emphasis on the regional dimension and the lengthy
presentation of data for the many provinces and subgroupings, while the presentation of data on the national
level has been neglected. An historical account of the population censuses from 1768 to 1910 is included in
Ministerio de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Artes. Dirección General del Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico (1916:
IX–XVI).
The first three censuses of 1857, 1860, and 1877 presented the population by age groups and sex; there was no
combination with marital status. This combination was introduced in 1887. The censuses from 1887 to 1920
gave the lower ages for every year of age, and the higher ages in five-year age groups. In 1930 and 1940 ages
were published in one-year age groups.
Vital Statistics
Recording of vital statistics on the national level started in 1858 for most demographic series, but was
discontinued after 1870. Publication of the three basic demographic variables of live births, deaths, and
marriages was resumed in 1886. Many other demographic statistics were resumed only in 1900 or 1901:
stillbirths in 1900, births by legitimacy and infant deaths in 1901. Divorce statistics exist only since 1981, after
divorce was legalized. Synthetic fertility indices such as the total period fertility rate and the cohort fertility rate
have been recalculated since 1901 and 1902, respectively.
Households and Families
In Spain, data on households (familias, later hogares) were not directly collected before the 1960 census. But the
number of census sheets received was published already starting in 1860 and continuing until the census of 1940.
For the earlier censuses the summary of sheets was given, and in the later ones the number of private households
(familias) and institutions (colectivas). Thus, e.g., in 1920 received enumeration sheets for families/institutions
were published (cédulas recogidas de familia/colectivas (Ministerio de Trabajo, Comercio e Industria. Dirección
General de Estadística, 1922).
In 1960 household (hogares) statistics were revised, introducing households by size and the type of family. But
it was only in 1970 that household and family statistics in the true sense of the word and complying with
international standards began to be collected; prior to that, everything was more or less rudimentary. In 1970
households were distinguished by size and profession, and a detailed typology of family types was created.
Thus, household statistics in the strict sense did not exist in Spain until 1960. Taking the enumeration sheets as
the number of households can only be a very crude substitute for the actual number of households. In principle,
for 1857 to 1950 we have only one time series, the mean number of persons per enumeration sheet.
Regional disaggregations are available by provinces and districts.
There was no definition of a household (familia), because only the number of enumeration sheets was counted.
In the beginning only the total of enumeration sheets was published; later this figure was split into enumeration
sheets for private households (called familias) and for institutional households (colectivas).
Family statistics were introduced in the census of 1920 as family-related fertility statistics. The legitimate
fertility of married and widowed women was investigated. The results were published in two volumes: the first
classifies married and widowed women by age and the number of children, grouped as follows: 0 children
(hijos), 1–4 children, 5–7 children, 8–10 children, and 10 or more children. The second volume presents
marriage data by the age of both spouses and the number of children. The age of the spouses was crossreferenced for several age groups.
The 1940 census published a table of married and widowed women by age, duration of marriage, and the
number of living children (hijos vivientes). Children were registered from 0–11 and more.
Remarks (also see introductory Table 6.1)
For Spain, mid-year population data for 1858–1877 have been taken from Mitchell (1992: 81). Population
movement data (mid-year population, live births, deaths, marriages, (il)legitimate births) are not available from
official sources for the years 1871–1877. Annual data for these variables (without mid-year population) have
been created by linear extrapolation from 1871 to 1877.
The last census with detailed age*sex*civil status is the 1887 census, which gives only a very crude
classification of single males by age (under 14, 15 and over) and females (under 12, 13 and over), but not
married or widowed persons. Thus, only the variables v18, v19, and v20 could be calculated. It is assumed that
no married or widowed males or females are under age 15 or 13, respectively.
The censuses of 1857 and 1860 include civil status only in summary form, and give the population by age
groups and sex. Variables v18, v19, and v20 have been calculated under the same assumption, namely that there
are no married or widowed persons under the age of 16 in either census.
In order to calculate variables v16, v17, and v21 the percentage shares of these variables for the 1887 census
have been used to calculate the respective figures for the censuses of 1877, 1860, and 1857.