In general terms, the Spanish population has undergone a process similar to that of the more developed European countries, consisting of a change of situation characterized by high birth and death rates to one of low birth and death rates. However, as in most of southern Europe, this phenomenon came about some decades later than in other more developed European countries. Until 1900, birth andd death rates in Spain were still very high, in both cases exceeding 30%, typical of a preindustrial underdeveloped society. An important difference did exist between the regions, in that while Catalunya and the Balearic Islands has embarked upon this evoluntion before 1900, areas such as Andalucia, the Canary Islands and Extremadura did not follow suit until the 1920's

The birth rate more than halved in Spain between 1960 and 1990, from 21.7 to 10.2 births per thousand inhabitants, so that Spain's rate is below the average for the European Union as a whole. So, in no other Community country did the birth rates fall more than in Spain, where, by the end of the eighties, they has levelled with and even dropped slightly below those of the economically most advanced E.U. countries.

Life expectancy at birth is one of the best indicators of a population's mortality rate. In 1900, life expectancy in Spain was 35 years. However, the continual decline in the mortality rate raised it to 62 years by 1950. The life expectancy of women was in 1985 almost 80 years and that of men more than 73. Thus Spain's level is not only similar, it is superior to the majority of the E.C. countries. Among to the members of the Council of Europe, only Iceland, Norway and Sweden have higher rates.

The present life expectancy levels and infant mortality rates show that the low death rate in Spain is attributable to substantial advances in the economic, health and educational spheres.