Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Provisional results on the main demographic developments in the year of reference, in the moment of providing these data.
3.2. Classification system
Not applicable.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Demography and population.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
3.4.1 Please indicate the definition of:
Population
The mother's residence
The data deaths
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
x
x (is the base to obtain the usual resident population)
x
x
x
x
3.4.2 Please describe the national definition of
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
‘Usually resident population’: All persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time, understanding ‘usual residence’ as the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences (for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage).
Those who have lived in their place of usual residence for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time; or
Those who arrived in their place of usual residence during the 12 months before the reference time with the intention of staying there for at least one year.
Our Population Register, Padrón, includes all people who are considered to be usually resident in Spain, since everyone who is usually resident has the right to be registered (even those without a legal residence permit or hard to reach groups of population), but they are not obliged to be, nor are they automatically registered, except in some cases. However, there are many advantages to registering, because it gives certain rights and is even obligatory to be able to exercise some rights, such as health, education, etc., so the whole population tends to be registered. People who register do so when they consider that they usually reside in Spain, since the Spanish law establishes that "everybody who resides in Spain is obliged to register in the Municipal Register in which they habitually reside. Anyone who lives in several municipalities has to be registered only in the place where he/she spends more time during the year".
In this sense, the population register meets the definition of usual residence because, for those who have registered in the last 12 months, they have done so because they consider that this is and will be their usual residence.
But our population is not obtained by simply counting the population that is in the register: the population register is the skeleton for our population estimation, on which a statistical treatment is carried out to better adjust it, mainly based on the life-signs method. The process is as follows (new from 2023 with the implementation of annual censuses):
A census is obtained, based on the population register, and apply a statistical treatment mainly based on the life-signs method for a better adjustment.
For dates after the last available census (as is the case of the DEMOBAL population), the starting point is the last census, and we apply the evolution observed in the population register to each population group.
Therefore, we do not use the "default definition" (place of legal or registered residence), but the definition of usual residence.
A live birth is defined to be the complete expulsion or extraction from the mother of a baby, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of the voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. Each product of such a birth is considered live born.
Children born in Spain from resident mothers are considered. Resident mothers are considered as "Usual resident".
Births and the resident mothers are obtained from the Civil Register.
Births occurred abroad from usual resident mothers, are recorded in the Population Register, so they are included in the population, but not in the Vital Events Statistics.
A death is "the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live birth has taken place (postnatal cessation of vital functions without capability of resuscitation). This definition therefore excludes foetal deaths".
All the people who die in Spain are registered as deceased. The declaration of death is obtained from the Civil Register and every person that is registered in the Civil Register as “resident” is considered as "Usual resident" deaths.
Deaths from Spaniards occurred abroad, are recorded in the Population Register, so they are included in the population, but not in the Vital Events Statistics.
Not applicable
Not applicable
3.4.3 Please provide details of the deviations of the national definition used from the usual residence definition.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
No deviations
Only events recorded in Spain are considered in Vital Events Statistics.
Only events recorded in Spain are considered in Vital Events Statistics.
Not applicable
Not applicable
3.5. Statistical unit
Persons.
3.6. Statistical population
In case of survey as data source, please describe the target statistical population (one or more) which the data set refers to
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
3.7. Reference area
Data are available at national level with some geographical detail.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Population series are available in the Population Continuous Statistics since 1971 and, before that, decennial Census since 1857 can be found in the documentary collection of Censuses. They all give the historical series of population figures for Spain. Final data coincide with Census and intercensal estimates.
Births, deaths, infant deaths, late foetal deaths and marriages are obtained from the Vital Statistics. Results are available from 1900.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Counts of statistical units
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31st December). The reference period for vital events (births and deaths) data is the calendar year in which the events occurred.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the Statistical Law No. 12/1989 "Public Statistical Function" of May 9, 1989, and Law No. 4/1990 of June 29 on “National Budget of State for the year 1990" amended by Law No. 13/1996 "Fiscal, administrative and social measures" of December 30, 1996, makes compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan. The National Statistical Plan 2009-2012 was approved by the Royal Decree 1663/2008. It contains the statistics that must be developed in the four year period by the State General Administration's services or any other entity dependent on it. All statistics included in the National Statistics Plan are statistics for state purposes and are obligatory. The National Statistics Plan 2025-2028, approved by Royal Decree 1225/2024, of 3 December, is the Plan currently implemented. This statistical operation has governmental purposes, and it is included in the National Statistics Plan 2025-2028.
The exchanges of information needed to elaborate statistics between the INE and the rest of the State statistical offices (Ministerial Departments, independent bodies and administrative bodies depending on the State General Administration), or between these offices and the Autonomic statistical offices, are regulated in the LFEP (Law of the Public Statistic Function). This law also regulates the mechanisms of statistical coordination, and concludes cooperation agreements between the different offices when necessary.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that the INE cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
INE provides information on the protection of confidentiality at all stages of the statistical process: INE questionnaires for the operations in the national statistical plan include a legal clause protecting data under statistical confidentiality. Notices prior to data collection announcing a statistical operation notify respondents that data are subject to statistical confidentiality at all stages. For data processing, INE employees have available the INE data protection handbook, which specifies the steps that should be taken at each stage of processing to ensure reporting units' individual data are protected. The microdata files provided to users are anonymised.
8.1. Release calendar
The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.
The data are released simultaneously according to the advance release calendar to all interested parties by issuing the press release. At the same time, the data are posted on the INE's Internet website almost immediately after the press release is issued. Also some predefined tailor-made requests are sent to registered users. Some users could receive partial information under embargo.
Population: quarterly (provisional results) and yearly (final results).
Births and deaths: monthly (provisional results) and yearly (final results).
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
The results of the statistical operations are normally disseminated by using press releases that can be accessed via both the corresponding menu and the Press Releases Section in the web.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
You can access all information regarding these operations at:
INEbase is the system the INE uses to store statistical information on the Internet. It contains all the information the INE produces in electronic formats. The primary organisation of the information follows the theme-based classification of the Inventory of Statistical Operations of the State General Administration. The basic unit of INEbase is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities that lead to obtaining statistical results on a determined sector or topic using data collected individually.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
In addition to the information contained in the online publications and databases, the INE is able to provide data ad hoc in accordance with users' requirements by means of the "User Services", where specialist staff will advise on the viability of the requirements.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Please provide a link to national methodology reports and reference metadata files available on-line concerning the supplied data.
Standardised Methodological Reports on INE website. Fields 10.6 to 17.2 of those documents are considered to be the user-oriented quality report for each operation.
11.1. Quality assurance
Quality assurance framework for the INE statistics is based on the ESSCoP, the European Statistics Code of Practice, made by EUROSTAT. The ESSCoP is made up of 15 principles, gathered in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The main sources for building population and vital events statistics are based on Population Register and the Civil Register. Both of them are administrative sources that comprehensive and of high quality.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The first user is the statistic national system, particularly population figures are used by INE as reference figures in all its statistics products (surveys, National Account, indicators…).
Besides, population figures, vital events and migrations are available for all those users who need to analyse the national demographic evolution or produce their own statistics. These figures are also used as official Spanish Population by the international organisations.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
The INE has carried out general user satisfaction surveys in 2007, 2010 and 2013, and it plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose of these surveys is to find out what users think about the quality of the information of the INE statistics and the extent to which their needs of information are covered. In addition, additional surveys are carried out in order to acknowledge better other fields such as dissemination of the information, quality of some publications...
12.3. Completeness
Demographic information is available for each Autonomous Community, each province and each island (in case of population), broken down according to basic demographic characteristics, such as sex, year of birth, age, nationality and country of birth, so the completeness is 100%.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Please report on the reasons for any unreliability of the data on:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Net migration
Population is compiled in the Continuous population statistics, based on the information provided by the administrative data of the Municipal Register and by other statistics already compiled, such as the population censuses and the statistics relating to births and deaths, and therefore, the accuracy of its results depends on the accuracy of the information sources used.
Delays in the delivery of the information from some Civil Registers and lack of information in some variables from the register bulletin. This produces a non-response rate of approximately 0,1% This non-response is treated through information from the Ministry of Justice and some statistical processes for provisional data.
Delays in the delivery of the information from some Civil Registers and lack of information in some variables from the register bulletin. This produces a non-response rate of approximately 0,1% This non-response is treated through information from the Ministry of Justice and some statistical processes for provisional data.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
13.2. Sampling error
In case of survey as data source, please provide information on the part of the difference between a population value and an estimate thereof, derived from a random sample, which is due to the fact that only a subset of the population is enumerated.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
In case of survey as data source, please provide information on the error in survey estimates which cannot be attributed to sampling fluctuations.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
14.1. Timeliness
Population is published quarterly, first provisionally, at the latest 45 days after de reference date, until the data are final, which occurs when a new census is published, at the end of the year. The full set of provisional data will be updated every quarter, until they are final.
Births and deaths: provisional data are published monthly, and final data once a year.
14.2. Punctuality
Demographic information is delivered according to the established Statistics Calendar by INE.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Demographic data keep total inter-territorial and demographic consistency at all breakdown levels considered.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Please provide information on the length of comparable time series (indicate the first reference year for which data are availble), reference periods at which series occur, the reasons for the breaks and treatments of them.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Population figures included in the Population Continuous Statistics form the series of resident population in Spain since 1971.
Continuous series since 1975.
Previously the series did not include those live birth infants who died before the first 24 hours of existence.
Continuous series since 1975.
Previously the series did not include those live birth infants who died before the first 24 hours of existence.
Not applicable
Not applicable
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Population Continuous Statistics are used as reference figures for population in all the statistical products by INE (surveys, National Accounts and indicators) so all they are totally consistent.
The Vital Events Statistics are used for calculating demographic indicators so all they are totally consistent.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Before the Census 2021, population figures were obtained as an output from previous population figures, Vital Statistics and Migration Statistics, so population was coherent with all of them, by construction.
Since 2021, census are annual, and are obtained directly from the Population Register, as a stock. However, Vital Events Statistics are obtained from the Civil Register and they only include events occurred in Spain. So the vital events are covered in the population, but may have this small inconsistency between different statistics. In addition, the different reference dates might produce a slight difference. In conclusion, there is not a complete coherence, but a very small incoherence.
In any case, vital events are also recorded in the Population Register, in addition to the events occurred abroad, so they are all included in the population.
Territorial coherence is ensured in each of the operations.
Demographic data are produced on the base of registered information, so there is no burden on respondents.
The costs included by the Annual Program 2025 for population and vital events with reference year 2024 are:
410.25 thousands Euros for Population Continuous Statistics
45.63 thousands Euros for Monthly estimates of births
45.63 thousands Euros for Weekly death estimates
17.1. Data revision - policy
The INE of Spain has a policy which regulates the basic aspects of statistical data revision, seeking to ensure process transparency and product quality. This policy is laid out in the document approved by the INE board of directors on 13 March of 2015, which is available on the INE website, in the section "Methods and projects/Quality and Code of Practice/INE’s Quality management/INE’s Revision policy".
This general policy sets the criteria that the different type of revisions should follow: routine revision- it is the case of statistics whose production process includes regular revisions-; more extensive revision- when methodological or basic reference source changes take place-; and exceptional revision- for instance, when an error appears in a published statistic-.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Population: first provisional data are published at the latest 45 days after de reference date, until the data are final, which occurs when a new census is published, at the end of the year. The full set of provisional data will be updated every quarter, until they are final.
Births and deaths: provisional data are published monthly, and final data once a year.
18.1. Source data
Please report on the data sources used for the first reference year and inform of any changes thereto, to produce:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Population Continuous Statistics are obtained from the Population Register, the population Censuses and from Vital Statistics (Birth and Death).
Birth data are obtained from the Statistical Birth Bulletin, filled out by the parents, relatives or health staff so obligated by law to declare the childbirth and recorded in the Civil Register
Death data are obtained from Medical Death Certificate/Statistical Death Bulletin. This document is filled out by the doctor who certifies the death and registered in the Civil Register.
Not applicable
Not applicable
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Monthly
18.3. Data collection
Population data are obtained from the Population Register, the Population Censuses and Vital Events (births and deaths).
Vital Events (births and deaths) are the ones recorded in the Civil Register.
18.4. Data validation
First of all a phase of control and completeness of information is carried out for each source of information. Secondly, an analysis about the coherence and evolution of each source of information is carried out separately. Finally, multiple analysis for integrated information are carried out in order to guarantee the total coherence between the different demographic events at all breakdown levels considered.
18.5. Data compilation
- Population: provisional data are derived applying the evolution of the Population Register to the las annual Census. An adjustment with deaths and births from provisional Vital Statistics is done, for a better approach.
- Births and deaths: they are obtained from the Civil Register. For provisional data, a coefficient for late arrivals is applied.
18.6. Adjustment
No adjustment has been done.
Migration data are not available, because since 2023, these data come from a new statistic, the Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics, which is released at the end of each year with final data for the previous year, and provisional data are not yet available.
Provisional results on the main demographic developments in the year of reference, in the moment of providing these data.
13 June 2025
3.4.1 Please indicate the definition of:
Population
The mother's residence
The data deaths
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
1.Usual Residence Population
2.Legal Residence Population
3.Registered Residence Population
4.Other
x
x (is the base to obtain the usual resident population)
x
x
x
x
3.4.2 Please describe the national definition of
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
‘Usually resident population’: All persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time, understanding ‘usual residence’ as the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences (for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage).
Those who have lived in their place of usual residence for a continuous period of at least 12 months before the reference time; or
Those who arrived in their place of usual residence during the 12 months before the reference time with the intention of staying there for at least one year.
Our Population Register, Padrón, includes all people who are considered to be usually resident in Spain, since everyone who is usually resident has the right to be registered (even those without a legal residence permit or hard to reach groups of population), but they are not obliged to be, nor are they automatically registered, except in some cases. However, there are many advantages to registering, because it gives certain rights and is even obligatory to be able to exercise some rights, such as health, education, etc., so the whole population tends to be registered. People who register do so when they consider that they usually reside in Spain, since the Spanish law establishes that "everybody who resides in Spain is obliged to register in the Municipal Register in which they habitually reside. Anyone who lives in several municipalities has to be registered only in the place where he/she spends more time during the year".
In this sense, the population register meets the definition of usual residence because, for those who have registered in the last 12 months, they have done so because they consider that this is and will be their usual residence.
But our population is not obtained by simply counting the population that is in the register: the population register is the skeleton for our population estimation, on which a statistical treatment is carried out to better adjust it, mainly based on the life-signs method. The process is as follows (new from 2023 with the implementation of annual censuses):
A census is obtained, based on the population register, and apply a statistical treatment mainly based on the life-signs method for a better adjustment.
For dates after the last available census (as is the case of the DEMOBAL population), the starting point is the last census, and we apply the evolution observed in the population register to each population group.
Therefore, we do not use the "default definition" (place of legal or registered residence), but the definition of usual residence.
A live birth is defined to be the complete expulsion or extraction from the mother of a baby, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of the voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. Each product of such a birth is considered live born.
Children born in Spain from resident mothers are considered. Resident mothers are considered as "Usual resident".
Births and the resident mothers are obtained from the Civil Register.
Births occurred abroad from usual resident mothers, are recorded in the Population Register, so they are included in the population, but not in the Vital Events Statistics.
A death is "the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live birth has taken place (postnatal cessation of vital functions without capability of resuscitation). This definition therefore excludes foetal deaths".
All the people who die in Spain are registered as deceased. The declaration of death is obtained from the Civil Register and every person that is registered in the Civil Register as “resident” is considered as "Usual resident" deaths.
Deaths from Spaniards occurred abroad, are recorded in the Population Register, so they are included in the population, but not in the Vital Events Statistics.
Not applicable
Not applicable
3.4.3 Please provide details of the deviations of the national definition used from the usual residence definition.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
No deviations
Only events recorded in Spain are considered in Vital Events Statistics.
Only events recorded in Spain are considered in Vital Events Statistics.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Persons.
In case of survey as data source, please describe the target statistical population (one or more) which the data set refers to
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Data are available at national level with some geographical detail.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31st December). The reference period for vital events (births and deaths) data is the calendar year in which the events occurred.
Please report on the reasons for any unreliability of the data on:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Net migration
Population is compiled in the Continuous population statistics, based on the information provided by the administrative data of the Municipal Register and by other statistics already compiled, such as the population censuses and the statistics relating to births and deaths, and therefore, the accuracy of its results depends on the accuracy of the information sources used.
Delays in the delivery of the information from some Civil Registers and lack of information in some variables from the register bulletin. This produces a non-response rate of approximately 0,1% This non-response is treated through information from the Ministry of Justice and some statistical processes for provisional data.
Delays in the delivery of the information from some Civil Registers and lack of information in some variables from the register bulletin. This produces a non-response rate of approximately 0,1% This non-response is treated through information from the Ministry of Justice and some statistical processes for provisional data.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Counts of statistical units
- Population: provisional data are derived applying the evolution of the Population Register to the las annual Census. An adjustment with deaths and births from provisional Vital Statistics is done, for a better approach.
- Births and deaths: they are obtained from the Civil Register. For provisional data, a coefficient for late arrivals is applied.
Please report on the data sources used for the first reference year and inform of any changes thereto, to produce:
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Population Continuous Statistics are obtained from the Population Register, the population Censuses and from Vital Statistics (Birth and Death).
Birth data are obtained from the Statistical Birth Bulletin, filled out by the parents, relatives or health staff so obligated by law to declare the childbirth and recorded in the Civil Register
Death data are obtained from Medical Death Certificate/Statistical Death Bulletin. This document is filled out by the doctor who certifies the death and registered in the Civil Register.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Population: quarterly (provisional results) and yearly (final results).
Births and deaths: monthly (provisional results) and yearly (final results).
Population is published quarterly, first provisionally, at the latest 45 days after de reference date, until the data are final, which occurs when a new census is published, at the end of the year. The full set of provisional data will be updated every quarter, until they are final.
Births and deaths: provisional data are published monthly, and final data once a year.
Demographic data keep total inter-territorial and demographic consistency at all breakdown levels considered.
Please provide information on the length of comparable time series (indicate the first reference year for which data are availble), reference periods at which series occur, the reasons for the breaks and treatments of them.
Population
Live births
Deaths
Immigrants
Emigrants
Population figures included in the Population Continuous Statistics form the series of resident population in Spain since 1971.
Continuous series since 1975.
Previously the series did not include those live birth infants who died before the first 24 hours of existence.
Continuous series since 1975.
Previously the series did not include those live birth infants who died before the first 24 hours of existence.
