Comparative analysis of ageing in Spanish regions (the case of the Valencian Community)

With ageing development the need for thorough analysis of this process increases, especially for Spain, because in general Spain may be considered as rather “old” country. The Valencian Community (the VC) is the fourth country’s region in terms of population size and consists of three parts: Alicante, Castellon and Valencia having different population size and demographic indicators.

The paper aims to make a comparative analysis of ageing development in the regions of the VC since the beginning of the 1990s.

Changes in age structure by major age groups will be considered, and a number of ageing characteristics will be computed for the VC and its regions. Ageing indicators for the VC will be compared with those for Spain as a whole. To characterize the situation in regard to population ageing, conventional measures and quantitative characteristics that take account of remaining years of life will be examined.

The paper is based on censuses and micro-data on vital events.

The study is revealing similarities and diversities in dynamics of ageing indicators for the VC and Spain, and inside the VC. Results of the study may contribute to the management, administration and planning of social programmes related to population ageing.