Trend Growth of rural municipalities near large metropolitan areas

Summary

The report sees COVID-19 as a turning point after years in which rural Spain lost people to the big cities. The spread of remote work, digitalisation and the search for nature after lockdown helped municipalities under 10,000 inhabitants grow faster than the national average between 2019 and 2022. Data to 2024 show rural population still rising after the pandemic, driven by municipalities near major metropolitan areas that appear to form a new zone of strong demographic momentum. The report points to better transport links and infrastructure, proximity to essential services and cheaper housing amid steep price rises in most cities as leading factors. Each village's future will depend on its current size, age structure, closeness to expanding cities and capacity to generate activity on its own. Well-connected rural places that use the green and digital transitions to become living communities with their own economic, educational or cultural projects could keep gaining residents.