The Basics

Politics & Economy

• Since its peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 and entry into the European Union (EU) in 1986, Spain has experienced rapid economic modernization.
• Today, Spain’s mixed capitalist economy is considered one of the most dynamic economies in Europe, though unemployment remains at a high 8.1%.
• The minority Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party government was elected in March 2004. The government is led by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

The Stats:

The Population
Population: 40,448,191
Pop. growth rate: 0.116%
Birth rate (per 1,000): 9.98 births
Fertility rate (children born per woman): 1.98

The Economy
GDP: $1.084 trillion
GDP growth rate: 3.90%
Per capita income: $27,400
Unemployment rate: 8.10%
Poverty rate: 19.80%

The Workforce
Labor force: 21.58 million
By sector
Agriculture: 5.30%
Industry: 30.10%
Services: 64.60%
Female labor force participation: 55.70%
Male labor force participation: 81.10%
Percent of women working part-time: 16.50%
Percent of men working part-time: 2.50%
Pecent of children 3 to mandatory school-age in formal child care: 84%

Work-Life in Spain:

National Work Policies
Paid maternity leave: 16 weeks at 100% of salary
Paid paternity leave: 15 days (in the next years 30 days), independently of the mother
Unpaid maternity leave: Up to 3 years

To read about our experiences in Spain, check out these blogs:

"Lessons Learned: A Retrospective of Gross Generalizations" 

"Report from Madrid: How does the US and Spain Compare?" 

"Bethany Holmes Reports from Spain: Americans Push, Spaniards Nudge" 

"Parents of Horizontal Children" 

"Stability Seekers: Smarties or Sloths?" 

"Conservative Spanish Politician Says: Spend More Time at Home!" 

"Equality and Laws Thereof" 

"Bienvenidos a Espana" 

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