T he economy of Spain

T he active population
 In 2007, the active population of Spain was approximately twenty million people.
About 10% of this population, two million people, were unemployed. The majority of
them were women.
 But the culture and economic situation have changed.
 Nowadays, the active population of Spain is more than 23 million people. The 25,93 %
are unemployed. There is no relevant difference between men and women in this point.
 T he primary sector
Only 5% of the active population, about 1 million people, work in the primary sector. It consists
of the following activities:
 Agriculture: most of the agricultural land in Spain is used for dry crops, such as grain, grapes
and olives. Fruit and vegetables are grown on the irrigated plains of Murcia and Valencia.
 Livestock farming is intensive: cows, sheep, pigs and poultry are the most common livestock.
 Fishing has declined, but traditional and industrial fishing still continue in some areas.
 Mining has declined.

Livestock FISHING
farming

Mining
 T he secondary sector
About one third of the active population, over 6 million people, work in the secondary sector.
It consists of manufacturing and construction industries.
The most important manufacturing industries are :
 automobile
 chemical
 telecommunications
 textile
 food
The construction industry has decreased dramatically
in recent years, because of the economic crisis in Europe.

Mining
 T he service sector
About 12 million people, or 58% of the active population, work in the service or tertiary sector.
This is now the most important sector in the Spanish economy.
The main services are:
 tourism
 trade
 transport
 textile
 food