‘La España Vaciada’ (Emptied Spain) is an alarming phenomenon threatening the future of rural regions of the country that have experienced a sustained loss of population in recent decades. As the villages of Spain continue to run dry of inhabitants, social disparities are strengthened with important consequences for both for the regions affected and for Spanish society as a whole. A study by NMWE member Aguas Minerales de España (ANEABE) illustrates the contribution of the natural mineral water sector in Spain to alleviating rural depopulation, with potential applications for other countries impacted by this trend.

The ravages of rural decline

While Spain in one of the largest and most populated countries in the EU, its population density is only 93,83 inhabitants per square kilometre – lower than Belgium, Germany, Italy and France. Most of the population is concentrated in three major cities: Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao. Outside of the capital and the urban hubs along the coasts, vast stretches of the country have become largely empty, often dramatically so. Certain regions, such as Teruel or Soria, have only 1 inhabitant per square kilometre. While Spain’s population on the whole remains relatively steady, 8 out of 10 towns with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants have lost population in the last decade.

Several factors come together to exacerbate rural depopulation in Spain, foremost being the lack of employment and economic opportunities spurring a mass youth exodus. An aging population, with a disproportionate share of older people creates a challenge for generational replacement. Rural areas also lack essential services such as quality health care and education, and their remoteness makes it difficult to access markets, innovation centres and training opportunities. This drain of labour and talent creates a further reduction in economic dynamism, leading to a negative spiral.

A sector that lives in villages

It is precisely in these small villages of Spain that the natural mineral water sector has a critical role to play in reviving economic dynamism. There are over 120 mineral water bottling plants distributed throughout the country. The majority (61%) of the plants are located in towns with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Within the latter, 48% are in small villages with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.

In order to analyse how the mineral water sector contributes to wealth and employment in towns that have a bottling plant, ANEABE together with consulting firm Afi, developed a study to measure these factors. By analysing public data, they compared municipalities with bottling plants to those without plants and to the national average.

The impact is clear

The study by ANEABE and Afi found that job creation in rural villages with water bottling plants was 7.3 percentage points higher than in villages without bottling plants. Female employment in the beverage sector has increased by 15 percentage points.

Not only did the natural mineral water industry boost employment, in villages where mineral water is produced there is significantly higher availability of health, education and financial services than in those without plants.

Overall, towns with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants with a packaging plant had lower population decline than those without a plant. They also had a rate of working age population that was more than 2 percent higher than the national average as well as a higher level of household income.

 

 

Part of the solution

Over the last decade, mineral water bottling plants have been important drivers of development in rural Spain, making a significant impact in the demographic and social dynamics of small towns. The rural depopulation of Spain reflects a broader trend across Europe which the natural mineral water industry can play an active role in reversing. By helping to boost economic activity and quality of life, the sector is part of the solution to revitalise Europe’s heartlands.