Thousands march in Madrid as depopulation rocks rural Spain

MADRID has seen large protests by rural Spaniards who fear their communities are withering away.

The movement, labelled the ‘revolt of an empty Spain,’ brought thousands of people out onto the streets to demand better infrastructure and services.

Almost half of Spain’s municipalities have a population density less than 12.5 inhabitant per square kilometre, a ratio considered very low by the EU.

Spanish TV presenter Campo Vidal said: “The haemorrhaging will not be stopped. Today in Spain, 26 provincial capitals are losing inhabitants.

“If these capitals are declining, imagine what is happening to towns and villages, we need to react.”

Between 2011 and 2017, approximately 62% of Spanish towns lost inhabitants, and even cities of between 20,000 and 50,000 people have seen decline in the last decade.

Vidal said. “The revolt of an empty Spain is already in motion and it won’t be silenced… Addressing rural Spain, an empty Spain, is a matter of justice.”