In general terms, the population of the Basque Country has grown in the last twenty years, mainly in Hego Euskal Herria, the regions that form part of Spain. Bizkaia is the territory with the most inhabitants, followed by Gipuzkoa and Navarra. In European terms, the Basque Country is situated among the small and medium-sized states, far from the bigger ones. Overall, the Basque Country is of average density in comparison with other European regions.
However, in its urban areas there are pockets of high density comparable to other major European cities like Berlin, Brussels or some districts of the Île de France. On the other hand, the rural regions of the Basque Country are more similar to other more sparsely-populated rural and mountain areas in Europe. The Basque Country therefore displays contrasts in terms of population density and distribution: a large number of inhabitants in metropolitan areas and greater dispersion in rural areas. The age pyramids of the Basque Country clearly show that the birth rate is falling, while at the same time the population is ageing. From 2007 to 2022, the number of children fell and the population of working age peaked in 2012, then entering a downward trend. The ageing process is very significant, mainly because the long life expectancy of women is causing a higher density in the oldest groups. The age pyramid in the Basque Country is gradually widening at the top, for the oldest groups.
This trend, of the youngest groups remaining steady or decreasing and the oldest groups increasing, is the same across the EU27. Thus, in most European regions, the proportion of people from 0 to 14 years old has risen only slightly or fallen by up to 3 points, depending on the region. Among those over 65 years old, however, it has risen between one and five points. Birth figures in recent years show a widespread decline in the Basque Country and in other European regions, though the difference is more obvious in some areas. In the year 2000, the Basque Country had a birth rate of 8.7 per thousand inhabitants, but by 2022 it had fallen to 6.6. The birth rate is low in relation to other parts of Europe, compared to 12.1 in Brussels, 11.7 in Iceland and 13.2 in the Île de France, for example. However, a decline has been observed in many regions; for example, the EU27 average fell from 10.5 in 2000 to 8.7 in 2022. There are big differences between some regions or Turkey or France, with higher birth rates, and some regions of Spain, where these figures are less than 6, as in Galicia (5.4) and Asturias (4.7). Europe in general has seen an overall trend towards a fall in the birth rate, showing an ageing population and a reduction in the fertility rate. The figures for recent years show a rising trend in the mortality rate in the Basque Country, and while the COVID-19 pandemic caused an even more notable increase in 2020, in general terms this trend continued in 2022.
The average in the Basque Country was 10.7 per thousand inhabitants in 2022, and by regions, the highest rates were observed in Iparralde (15.4 ‰ in Basse Navarre, 14.3 ‰ in Zuberoa and 12.2 ‰ in Lapurdi). This trend is similar to that for the EU27, through the Basque Country has a lower rate than that across the EU27. According to 2022 figures, 70.6% of the inhabitants of the Basque Country were born there (2,254,764 people), while 29.1% were born outside the Basque Country, mainly in Spain (437,106) and France (126,387). Many Basque residents were also born in other countries, such as Morocco, Colombia and Ecuador. Residents in the Basque Country without Spanish or French nationality make up 7% of the population. At European level, the Basque Country is in a middling position for the proportion of foreigners, behind Germany (26%) and France (14.1%).