Spain's Immigration Solution Turns Into a Crisis

Key points

• 0:00

  Spain opened its doors to the world after becoming a democracy in the late 20th century.

• 0:00

  Rapid urbanization caused Spain's birth rate to collapse from above average to one of the lowest in the world.

• 0:00

  Constrained living conditions in cities prevented families from having children despite increased wealth.

• 0:00

  Immigration increased Spain's population by approximately five million to reach roughly 47 million today.

• 0:00

  The average age of the Spanish population has stabilized in the mid-40s due to new arrivals.

• 0:00

  Spain granted amnesty to two and a quarter million people to make them legal citizens.

• 0:00

  A second round of amnesty is currently underway and will likely match the size of the first.

• 2:05

  Spain's strategy relies on a vast pool of young Spanish speakers from its former empire.

• 2:05

  The Western Hemisphere contains a huge pool of people who speak the language and are willing to move.

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