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.
[ES1] National Institute for Statistics (INE) (Spain)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Demographic Statistics
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Avenida de Manoteras, 50-52
28050 Madrid
SPAIN
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
29 January 2026
2.2. Metadata last posted
29 January 2026
2.3. Metadata last update
29 January 2026
3.1. Data description
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
The regional breakdown of the Member States in the regional demographic tables is done under the most recent NUTS classification. There are agreements between Eurostat and Candidate countries as well as between Eurostat and EFTA countries, for which statistical regions have been coded in a way that resembles NUTS. For more information on the versions in force, please see Eurostat NUTS.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Demography and population.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.5. Statistical unit
Person.
3.6. Statistical population
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.7. Reference area
Data are available at national level with some geographical detail.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Population data are available from 1971 and, before that, decennial Census since 1857 can be found in the documentary collection of Censuses.
Births, deaths, infant deaths, late foetal deaths and marriages are obtained from the statistics of Natural Population Movement. Results are available from 1900.
Migration results are available from 2008 (until 2020 from Migration Statistics and since 2021from the Migration and Changes or Residence Statistics).
Divorces are obtained from the Statistics on Annulments, Separations and Divorces, that are carried out every year. Results are available from 1998.
The acquisitions of citizenship obtained from the Ministry of Justice. Results are available from 2001.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
The reference date for population data is the end of the reference period (midnight of 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration 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 9 May 1989, and Law No 4/1990 of 29 June on “National Budget of State for the year 1990” amended by Law No. 13/1996 “Fiscal, administrative and social measures” of 30 December 1996, makes compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan. The National Statistical Plan is approved by Royal Decree, for a period or four years. It contains the statistics that must be developed in the 4 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.These statistical operations has governmental purposes, and it is included in the National Statistics Plan 2021-2024.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
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.
No additional confidentiality measures have been adopted for those datasets where microdata are not provided. This is controlled by the breakdowns of the tables provided, which only go down to the NUTS3 level.
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 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 as it is publicly described in The European Statistics Code of Practice.
The data are disseminated once a year as final results. Some of the data are previously disseminated as provisional.
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.
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
Micro-data of some operations are disseminated:
Population, since 2021;
Migrations, since 2021;
Vital events: births, deaths, late foetal deaths, infant deaths, marriages, since 1976;
Acquisitions of citizenship: since 2013.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
In addition to the information contained in the online publications and databases, the INE is able to provide data “to order” 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
See the table 10.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
The link to the Spanish reference metadata on the statistical operations that provides this data collection are:
See the table 11.2.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The first user is the statistic national system, particularly Ppopulation figures are used by INE as reference figures in all its statistics products (surveys, National Account, indicators, etc.).
Also, population figures are available for all those users who need to analyse the national demographic evolution or produce their own statistics. These figures are also used like official Spanish Population by the international organisations.
Besides, the Vital Statistics, the Migration and Change of Residence Statistics and the Statistic of the annulments, separations and divorces, are available for all those users who need to analyse the national demographic evolution or produce their own statistics.
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.
In the User Satisfaction Surveys conducted to date, it is possible to view the evaluation of the “Population” sector in which this statistical operation is centred, which can help direct us with regard to user opinions of it.
12.3. Completeness
Demographic information is available in each Autonomous Community, in each province and in every island, 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
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.2. Sampling error
See the table 13.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.3. Non-sampling error
See the table 13.3 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
14.1. Timeliness
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference 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
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Population data 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 and Migration and Change of Residence Statistics are used for to calculate demographic indicators so all they are totally consistent.
Differences between Residence Permits (RP) and Immigration (IM) flows could be explained by these situations:
People that put several permits of residence together (and the length of these permits individually is shorter than one year).
These people would count in IM data, but not in RP data.
People that stay in the country on an irregular situation.
These people would count in IM data, but not in RP data.
People with a residence permit but they have not entered in the country, like for example those with golden visas (very low impact in figures).
These people would count in RP data, but not in IM data.
People that have left the country, but they still benefit from a residence permit. It takes more time to delete these people from RP statistics than from IM statistics.
These people would count in RP data, but not in IM data.
The time gap between the two events (factual migration and issuance of the RP).
It is especially significant in the beginning and end of each year.
In the case of asylum seekers, they are authorized to stay temporarily in the country until their application for international protection is solved (which can take from 2 to 3 years, and must be renewed every 6 months). However, it is not issued a residence permit, they are only documented, although it is necessary that they are registered in the population register.
These people would count in IM data, but not in RP data.
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 forecast costs by the Annual Program 2025 of the National Statistics Plan are:
5,031.64 thousands Euros for Vital Statistics;
410.48 thousands Euros for Migration and Changes of Residence Statistics;
4,508.71 thousands Euros for Population Census;
50.53 thousands Euros for Statistics on Annulments, Separations and Divorces;
7.73 thousands Euros for Statistics on Acquisition of Spanish Citizenship of Residents.
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Final data: annual.
Provisional and internal data for analysis: monthly.
18.3. Data collection
Migrations data are compiled through the statistical treatment of the Population Censuses and the variations recorded in the Municipal Register database.
Acquisitions of citizenship data are compiled through the statistical treatment of the variations recorded in the Municipal Register database.
Births, deaths and marriages are the ones recorded in the Civil Register.
The divorces data are compiled through the statistical treatment of the judgments and decrees issued by the competent Spanish courts in the matter (Courts of First Instance, Courts of First Instance and Instruction and Courts of Violence against Women), just as of the notary deeds from notary’s offices.
All these sources provide monthly data.
18.4. Data validation
First, 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 is carried out in order to guarantee the total coherence between the different demographic events at all breakdown levels considered.
18.5. Data compilation
Population: compiled from the Population Register, linking data with other administrative registers to apply the estimation method of signs-of life and to obtain other variables.
Migration and Change of Residence Statistics: based on the Population Census and the migratory history observed and statistically treated from de Population Register. Some specific clean-ups have been made in the censuses, due to applying the method of signs of life. It may affect some specific ages.
The most significant imputation occurs in this statistic, for the variables country of previous / next residence, as there is a large amount of ex offitio registrations / deregistrations, in which their values are unknown. In these cases, they are estimated through imputation techniques, based on the distribution of these countries in the well-filled cases according to country of birth, nationality, province, age group and sex of the migratory movement.
Nevertheless, in our published microdata, there is a variable to distinguish which part is original and which part is imputed.
Rest of demographic phenomena (births, deaths,…): from the Civil Register and the Spanish courts, with a small statistical treatment.
18.6. Adjustment
Once the population and demographic events have been obtained through the above-mentioned statistical procedures, no further adjustment have been made.
In the case of the Spanish POPSTAT collection, the demographic balance equation is almost, but not fully, satisfied. There is a small statistical adjustment that has had to be taken into account.
For more specification see standardized methodologies and methodological reports published on the website of INE that have been referenced in previous sections.
Data and metadata are transmitted to Eurostat by the Member States in the framework of the Unified Demographic Data Collection which is in accordance with Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and Regulation (EU) 1260/2013 and their implementing regulations.
3.4.1 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics transmitted to Eurostat
One of the following definitions is used by a country when explaining the statistical concepts:
Usually resident population means all persons having their usual residence in a Member State at the reference time; for more information see the Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1260/2013.
Legal residence population is composed of those persons who are entitled to be settled in the country at the reference date, either by holding the national citizenship or by other authorization issued by national authorities.
Registered residence population is composed of those persons who are listed on one or more registers owned by national authorities at the reference date. Each registered person shall be counted only once.
See the table 3.4.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
3.4.2 Statistical concepts and definitions used in the statistics disseminated in the National Statistical Institute's website
See the table 3.4.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Person.
See the table 3.6 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
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 31 December). The reference period for vital and dual events data is the calendar year in which the events occurred. The reference period for migration flow data is the calendar year during which the migration occurred.
Overall accuracy and special cases (inclusion/exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, persons living on unauthorised or irregular basis, international students, persons who do not register/deregister, etc.).
See the table 13.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
13.1.1 Accuracy - unknown values
See the table 13.1.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
Data is collected at unit (person) level.
Population: compiled from the Population Register, linking data with other administrative registers to apply the estimation method of signs-of life and to obtain other variables.
Migration and Change of Residence Statistics: based on the Population Census and the migratory history observed and statistically treated from de Population Register. Some specific clean-ups have been made in the censuses, due to applying the method of signs of life. It may affect some specific ages.
The most significant imputation occurs in this statistic, for the variables country of previous / next residence, as there is a large amount of ex offitio registrations / deregistrations, in which their values are unknown. In these cases, they are estimated through imputation techniques, based on the distribution of these countries in the well-filled cases according to country of birth, nationality, province, age group and sex of the migratory movement.
Nevertheless, in our published microdata, there is a variable to distinguish which part is original and which part is imputed.
Rest of demographic phenomena (births, deaths,…): from the Civil Register and the Spanish courts, with a small statistical treatment.
See the table 18.1 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
The data are disseminated once a year as final results. Some of the data are previously disseminated as provisional.
According to Article 4 (2) of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014, each year Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with data at national and regional level as described in Annex II and related standard reference metadata (in the metadata structure definition defined for the Euro SDMX Metadata Structure) for the reference year within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
According to Article 3 (2) of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 862/2007, Statistics on international migration, usually resident population and acquisition of citizenship shall be supplied to the Commission (Eurostat) within 12 months of the end of the reference year.
Demographic data keep total inter-territorial and demographic consistency at all breakdown levels considered.
See the table 15.2 in the annex POPSTAT_UNIESMS_A.
