Spain has surpassed 10 million residents aged 65 and older for the first time, according to a report by The Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The group has doubled in size over the past 50 years and represents 20.7% of the population.

The report, titled “A Profile of Older People in Spain,” also describes a growing share of people in the oldest age groups. The population aged 80 and above has quadrupled, while the number aged 90 and older has increased more than ninefold. Spain’s average age rose from 33 in 1975 to 44.55 in 2025.

The demographic picture varies across the country. Provinces in the northwest and inland areas have the highest average ages, with Zamora, Ourense, Lugo and León all above 50. The lowest averages are in the south, along the Mediterranean coast, and in Ceuta and Melilla, where they remain below 40.

Spain’s share of older residents is slightly below the European average of 22%, the report says. Across most European countries, people aged 65 and over account for between 15% and 25% of the population. Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria and Finland have some of the highest proportions.

The number of centenarians in Spain reached 17,038 in 2025, up from 3,021 in 1981. Women make up about 80% of the total. Madrid and Barcelona have the largest numbers, with 15.2% and 12.6% respectively; together, they account for 4,746 centenarians, almost one-third of the national total.

The report also examines healthy life expectancy, which measures how long people are expected to live without health-related limitations in everyday activities. Eurostat data for 2004 to 2023 show that healthy life expectancy at age 65 peaked above 12 years in 2017 and 2019, then fell from 2020. It has since recovered only partly. In 2023, the figure was 10.3 years for women and 10.2 for men.

Nerea Suárez Pérez de Eulate, a psychologist and specialist geriatric nurse, told Science Media Centre Spain that the report brings together data from different years and sources to describe the situation, but cannot establish its causes. She also cautioned that longer life does not necessarily mean better health, and said older people have varied circumstances and needs.

Sources: El País Sociedad.