Contribution of the Immigrant Population to Demographic and Spatial Dynamics of the Basque Country

Abstract

The twenty-first century begins with a rupture of the migratory pattern in the Basque Country, a region located in the north of Spain, transforming it from a community which exports its population to one which receives it. Despite the current economic crisis, the Basque Country continues to be a destination for foreigners, now in many cases coming from other Spanish regions most affected by this crisis. Given the quantitative and qualitative importance of these migration flows, in this research we analyze the contribution of immigrants to the demographic dynamics of the Basque Country. By also identifying their patterns of spatial localization, we examine their contribution to the correction or accentuation of regional imbalances in the population distribution. The results reveal that the demographic recovery rests primarily on contributions of this immigrant population, a population which also promotes the rejuvenation of an aging society, although it is far from correcting regional imbalances and may contribute to accentuating them.