Chapter 257: Population Birth Rate

As time reached 1880, it was not just the two major cities of Madrid and Barcelona that were busy in Spain.

As the most populous region in Spain, the Andalusia region saw its birth rate exceed 5% for two consecutive years, claiming the top spot on the rankings for both total births and birth rate among all Spanish regions.

The population of Andalusia exceeded 3. million, nearly 700, 00 more than the second-ranked Castile-León region.

With a birth rate as high as 5%, Andalusia's total births in 1879 reached as high as 170, 00, far exceeding the total births of León and Catalonia, which ranked second and third in population.

However, Andalusia's death rate was also as high as 2. %; while having 170, 00 newborns, Andalusia also lost over 80, 00 people last year.

Currently, among Spain's 16 regions, Andalusia's population reached 3. million, far ahead of other regions.

The second-ranked Castile-León region had a population of only about 2. million, followed closely by the Catalonia region, with a population of approximately 2. 3 million.

Catalonia achieved extremely rapid development after the Barcelona industrial base was completed, and its population surged from just over 1. million to over 2. million. The vast majority of these 800, 00 new residents were workers in industrial zones and their families, with only a small portion being immigrants other than workers.

Judging by Catalonia's current rate of development, it is only a matter of time before its population surpasses that of the Castile-León region, and it might even happen within the next year or two.

The fourth-ranked region in population is Galicia, which had about 1. 2 million people as of the beginning of 1880. The Valencia region ranked fifth, with a population of approximately 1. 4 million.

Further down is the La Mancha region south of Madrid, with a population just over 1. million. Apart from these six regions, the populations of Spain's other regions have not reached the million-level, and many regions even have populations of only one or two hundred thousand.

The populations of the Extremadura region and the Aragon region are both maintained at just over 900, 00; these are the two regions in Spain, other than Madrid, most likely to break the one-million mark.

Currently, Madrid's population has already exceeded 650, 00, with a birth rate as high as 4. %, and the number of newborns each year exceeds 27, 00.

Added to a portion of immigrants, the number of people added to Madrid each year is about 30, 00 to 40, 00. (Deaths have already been deducted.)

According to this growth rate, it will take at least another 10 years for the Madrid region's population to break one million.

But the reality certainly cannot be calculated this way. As Madrid becomes known across Europe as a city that never sleeps, more and more European immigrants will come to Madrid to travel and settle.

Coupled with the growth in births brought about by Madrid's population increase, perhaps Madrid's population has a chance to break one million within the next 5 to 8 years.

Below Madrid, the populations of the Asturias, Basque, and Murcia regions are all around 600, 00.

Originally, the Basque region did not have such a large population, but the Spanish government transferred a portion of the population from other areas and immigrants to the Basque region, successfully diluting the proportion of Basque people and allowing the Basque region's population to increase.

Below these three regions with populations over 600, 00, the Canary Islands, located outside the mainland, actually have a population of nearly 400, 00.

The Canary Islands have a special location, serving as a transit point for material transport between Spain and its African colonies. Precisely because of this, the population of the Canary Islands has seen relatively fast growth over the past few years, and the island's economy is also quite prosperous.

The Canary Islands at least have nearly 400, 00 people, while the populations of the three regions of Navarre, Cantabria, and the Balearic Islands are only around 300, 00; the combined population of these three regions has not even broken the million-level, which proves that the populations of these three regions are truly pitifully small.

Of course, these three regions are not the regions with the smallest populations in Spain. The region with the smallest population in mainland Spain is the La Rioja region, with a total population of just over 150, 00. The vast majority of the region consists of desolate areas rarely visited by people, and it has basically been abandoned by the Spanish government in terms of development.

The combined population of these regions exceeds 19. million, accounting for the vast majority of Spain's population. There are also about 200, 00 people distributed across Spain's various colonies; the vast majority of these people are colonial residents who have just obtained Spanish citizenship and have not yet had time to migrate to the Spanish mainland.

It is worth mentioning that when calculating Spain's population, the more than 600, 00 Cubans were not included. The vast majority of these Cubans have no affection for Spain, so the Spanish government naturally would not include them when calculating the population.

Of course, since they are not Spanish citizens, they naturally do not enjoy any related welfare benefits or policies.

Gao Da even decided to abandon the Cuba colony within the next few years and use all the funds obtained from it for the development of African colonies.

Even if there is hope, Gao Da would rather sell the Cuba colony to the British in exchange for the opportunity for Spain to fully colonize Morocco.

Currently, among all of Spain's colonies, investing in Morocco is the most valuable. Because Morocco is a colony that can be localized, investments here will never lose money, as this land will forever remain in the hands of Spain.

As of the beginning of 1880, Spain's population has officially broken through 20 million. Breaking through 20 million is very important for Spain, as it represents a major step forward for Spain toward becoming a European power.

A European country with a population of less than 10 million can by no means be considered a great power. And a European country with a population of less than 20 million can by no means be considered a strong power.

With a population exceeding 20 million, Spain has truly secured its seat among the great powers and has the hope of advancing further in the rankings of great powers, expanding its international influence and status.

Throughout 1879, the birth rate of Spain's major regions was only about 2%, and there is still much room for improvement in this figure.

Even if it cannot reach the somewhat exaggerated 5% of the Andalusia region, it can certainly be increased to over 3%, thereby significantly increasing the scale of Spain's population growth.

With a population of over 20 million, a 3% birth rate means welcoming over 600, 00 children each year. Even if a portion of these children die prematurely, and after subtracting those who die, Spain still has the hope of maintaining a net population growth of 200, 00 to 300, 00 people per year.

Added to the scale of foreign immigration, Spain's annual population growth scale has the hope of being maintained at about 350, 00 to 400, 00 people; such a rate of population growth is quite exaggerated.

More importantly, among the current 20 million-plus Spanish citizens, the proportion of Spanish people still accounts for the majority, with a total proportion as high as an exaggerated 89. %, and the population of the main ethnic group reaching 18 million.

The exaggerated proportion of Spanish people is actually quite normal. This era is precisely the process of the formation of national consciousness. Because of the intervention of the Spanish government, apart from the Catalans and Basques who have a relatively clear self-awareness, most of the Spanish population views themselves as pure Spanish; they do not feel that they are a minority in Spain.

And after more than half of the radicals in Catalonia were cleared out, a considerable number of Catalans also consider themselves Spanish; they just happen to live in Catalonia, which does not mean they possess Catalan blood.

The population that truly feels they are not Spanish is only about 2 million, among which the more numerous are the Catalans, Basques, and Galicians.

Apart from the Basques, who are a rather special case, the Catalans and Galicians both have the hope of being thoroughly assimilated by Spain.

And after thoroughly assimilating the Catalans and Galicians, whether the Basques can be completely assimilated will no longer be important.

After all, the Basques in the two regions combined only number a few hundred thousand; if they do not accept Spanish rule, the worst case is to remove them from Spain entirely.

Although the Basques are brave and good at fighting, their population greatly limits their threat. For Spain at this time, the initiative is completely in its own hands.

Especially after the population exceeded 20 million, Spain has enough capital to take action against the Basques. Even if all the Basques were driven out of Spanish land, Spain's population would not decrease by much, and it would not cause too much of an impact on the country's development.

Spain's birth rate is not prominent in all of Europe, and it cannot even rank among the top.

As the country with the largest population in Europe, Russia's birth rate is also quite exaggerated. Russia's birth rate is generally as high as 5% or more, which also means that Russia has over 5 million newborns each year.

Of course, as one of the countries with the worst basic environment among the great powers, Russia's death rate is also consistently high.

Russia's death rate also hovers around 3. % to 4%, which also means that the number of people dying in Russia each year is also as high as over 3 million, approaching 4 million.

Subtracting the death rate from the birth rate, Russia currently only adds over 1 million people each year. Of course, this figure is also constantly increasing.

After all, Tsar Alexander II's abolition of serfdom did have an effect; although the effect was not great, at least the Russian peasants could catch their breath because of it.

Looking at the birth rates across Europe, it actually presents a situation where birth rates in Central and Western Europe are lower, while birth rates in Southern and Eastern Europe are higher.

The birth rate of the relatively economically prosperous France is only maintained below 3%, and rarely breaks 3%. Although France's death rate is only about 2%, this actually means that France's net population growth is only maintained at a relatively slow level.

The birth rates of European countries are generally as high as 2% or more, mainly because the medical technology of this era is too poor; if they do not strive to have children, national extinction is not an exaggeration.

Don't look at the fact that many children are born, but the number of people dying in European countries each year is also very high. Coupled with the fact that a large portion of newborns die prematurely, this leads to the fact that even with relatively high birth rates, the speed of population growth in European countries is not high.

Russia, with a population of over 100 million, only grows by just over a million people each year, not to mention the European powers with populations of only 20 or 30 million, where the net annual population growth is only 200, 00 or 300, 00, which is completely disproportionate to the population growth rate of later generations.

Although the birth rates of various countries in later generations are relatively low, the death rates and newborn mortality rates are also very low.

Perhaps only after medical technology is significantly improved, thereby significantly reducing the number of deaths and newborn mortality, can the European population usher in a new round of explosion.

Before this, the population of European countries will basically not have much change in growth magnitude. After all, there are also many people in European countries who choose to immigrate abroad, and population loss is also a problem that European countries need to consider.

It is just that Spain achieved relatively fast development in the 11 years from 1869 to 1880, thereby disguisedly reducing the number of people Spain loses to emigration.

After all, if they can live in their own hometown, the vast majority of people are unwilling to leave their homes and go to strange lands to live a completely new life.

It is worth mentioning that in the latter half of 1879, Gao Da also welcomed his third child, his second son, Ma Ding.

After Princess Suofeiya was born, Gao Da decided to let Queen Suofei rest for a period of time before considering the issue of continuing to have children.

Although it is important to expand the royal family, ensuring Queen Suofei's physical health is equally important. The medical technology of this era is just like this; what Gao Da can do is to try his best to ensure Queen Suofei's physical health so that she does not have accidents during childbirth.

After two years of careful recuperation, Gao Da and Queen Suofei then continued their life of having children.

Prince Ma Ding was also born a year later. As Gao Da's second son, Prince Ma Ding received the title of Duke of Alcovendas the moment he was born, starting at the pinnacle of most Spanish nobles.

The birth of little Ma Ding made Prince Hu An and Princess Suofeiya very excited, and the two were quite doting on this little brother.

The two little ones would accompany little Ma Ding whenever they had time. Watching the scene of her children's brotherly love, Queen Suofei would often look at Gao Da with gratification.

As Gao Da's eldest son, Prince Hu An is already 5 years old this year.

The elite aristocratic education that Gao Da specially customized for him will also start from this year. As the heir to the Spanish throne, Prince Hu An must be a crown prince with quite excellent abilities, and Gao Da is full of expectations for him.

Compared with his brother, Princess Suofeiya is obviously much more relaxed. For one thing, she is still too young; born in November 1876, Suofeiya is actually only three and a half years old.

At this age, she naturally does not need any overly harsh education. Apart from needing to learn some Spanish words and etiquette early, Princess Suofeiya still has plenty of free time to use.

After Prince Ma Ding was born, Gao Da and Queen Suofei could be considered to have practiced Spain's pro-natal policy, setting an example for the Spanish people.

Driven by Gao Da, the Spanish people are quite willing to have children. But Spain's birth rate also shows a trend of being higher in rural areas and lower in cities, which is also something the Spanish government needs to pay attention to and improve.

The reason why the birth rate shows a trend of being higher in rural areas and lower in cities is actually very easy to understand.

Against the background of the continuous increase in Spain's per capita annual income, the Spanish people are not resistant to having children, and some couples are even keen on having children; after all, if they have more, the state will also bear a portion of the expenses.

The main reason is that rural populations have more disposable time compared to urban populations. A considerable portion of the urban population are workers, and workers' working hours are generally as high as ten hours or more.

Coupled with the fact that most of the work currently done by workers is relatively tiring physical labor, this leaves them with no energy to have children after working for more than ten hours.

Although workers can also get one day of vacation every month, who would use this precious vacation to have children? Apart from resting, most people's choice is to go to the city to experience a completely different life, while also experiencing some newly opened shops and more prosperous streets.

Precisely because of this, the Spanish government decided to focus the publicity of the pro-natal policy on the worker group and the urban population.

As long as these people can be encouraged to actively have offspring, Spain's birth rate will naturally usher in further improvement, and the speed of population growth can also climb step by step.

Of course, publicity policy is one thing, but appropriate subsidies and welfare incentives are also very necessary.

Gao Da also read the report submitted by the Andalusia region; there is a reason why the Andalusia region's birth rate has been as high as 5% for two consecutive years.

As the region with the largest population in Spain, the fiscal situation of the Andalusia region is also relatively good. The regional government has formulated welfare policies regarding encouraging childbirth, which include but are not limited to:

Parents who have given birth to children are eligible to receive unemployment benefits issued by the government after becoming unemployed; for every additional child born, the proportion of unemployment benefits increases by 15%, up to a maximum of 60%.

If both husband and wife are unemployed, this proportion increases to 30%, and the upper limit increases to 150%.

In addition to this, parents who have given birth to children can enjoy certain tax reduction and rent reduction policies. The Andalusia region will provide the public with some houses with relatively cheap rent; couples who have given birth to children can receive further rent reductions on the basis of already low rent to reduce their expenses.

Of course, when buying a house, such discounts also exist. For every child born, one can enjoy a 15% discount when buying a house, up to a maximum of 60%.

This also means that families with four or more children can buy houses in the city center at a price lower than the cost price in the Andalusia region.

Although Andalusia does not have any very large cities, houses that are cheaper than the cost price are absolutely highly attractive.

Coupled with other series of subsidies, although the amount of each subsidy is not too much, they are not a small number when added together.

Under such policies and welfare benefits, the increase in Andalusia's birth rate is a matter of course.

5, 00-word two-in-one chapter, seeking support!

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(End of this chapter)