Emigrating to Depopulated Regions in Mediterranean Europe: Demographic Impact and Choice of Destination in a Case Study in North-East Spain (Aragon)

Abstract

International migration to depopulated areas is a growing field of research; even more so in Spain, one of the European countries most affected by depopulation. This paper analyses, first, the demographic impact of immigration from other countries in Aragon, which has undergone an intense and long process of depopulation throughout most of its territory. Second, we examine the factors that explain the immigrants’ choice of destination. The analysis focuses on the period 2000–2016. The basic territorial units of the analysis are the municipality (NUTS 5) and the county (NUTS 4).

Keywords

• rural depopulation
• rural demography
• rural immigration
• aragon