Issue Trade-off between urban agglomeration gains and rural hollowing out

Summary

The report holds that a country's long-term economic and social progress depends in part on how its population is spread across the territory. Concentration in large cities makes service delivery more efficient, spurs innovation and the exchange of ideas and draws talent, producing more growth and employment. The other side of this is rural depopulation, with local sectors such as agriculture and livestock losing vitality and essential public services like education and healthcare becoming harder to reach. As land is left unmanaged, many ecosystems degrade, social isolation deepens and traditions fade. In Spain, the urban share of the population climbed from 72 percent in the 1980s to 80 percent in 2024. The report believes well-connected rural municipalities with their own projects could still gain population in the future.