Galicia ranks among oldest regions

El Plural reported on May 23 that Galicia is one of Spain’s oldest autonomous communities, citing the study “El deterioro demográfico español se agudiza” by Observatorio Demográfico CEU-CEFAS and figures carried by Europa Press. The article said Asturias, Galicia, Castilla y León and the Basque Country form the country’s oldest regional block by share of residents aged 65 and over. Official data from Spain’s Health Ministry and national statistics office show Galicia near the top of that ranking in 2025. ### How old is Galicia compared with the rest of Spain? Spain’s Health Ministry lists Galicia with 27.03% of its population aged 65 or older in 2025, above the national figure of 20.88%. Only Asturias, at 28.55%, and Castilla y León, at 27.44%, are higher in the same table, while the Basque Country stands at 24.36%. El Plural cited a separate demographic report with slightly different percentages based on a later reference date, saying that as of Oct. 1, 2025, people aged 65 and over were 27.1% of Galicia’s population, versus 28.7% in Asturias, 25.7% in Castilla y León and 24.5% in the Basque Country. (elplural.com) The gap in figures reflects source and timing differences, but both datasets place Galicia among Spain’s oldest regions. (sanidad.gob.es) ### Why does Galicia keep appearing near the top of these rankings? El Plural said the pattern reflects a combination of low birth rates, the outflow of younger residents and longer life expectancy. The article described an uneven demographic map in which some regions remain relatively young while others have aged for decades as the base of the population pyramid narrows. (elplural.com) Spain’s national picture has moved in the same direction. El Plural said people aged 65 and over accounted for 21.3% of Spain’s resident population on Oct. 1, 2025, and that the country’s average age now exceeds 44.5 years, up sharply from 33 years in 1976. ### Why does Ourense come up so often in this conversation? (elplural.com) Ourense has become a shorthand for Galicia’s ageing profile because the province is associated with exceptional longevity as well as a high share of older residents. La Vanguardia reported in August 2024, citing a study by the Galician Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology and the University of Vigo’s LONXENV group, that Galicia had 75.79 centenarians per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest concentration in Spain, with interior areas of Galicia posting some of the country’s strongest rates. (elplural.com) That does not mean every municipality in Ourense faces the same service conditions. But it does mean towns in the province, including places such as Taboadela, sit inside a region where healthcare, care services and local administration are dealing with an older age structure than the Spanish average. That inference is supported by the regional age data and by the concentration of extreme longevity reported in interior Galicia. (lavanguardia.com) ### What does this mean for healthcare and local services? The Health Ministry’s 2025 regional table shows Galicia combining a high share of older residents with 2.72 million inhabitants overall. Older populations typically make heavier use of primary care, hospital services and long-term care, though the ministry table itself does not quantify service strain. (sanidad.gob.es) El Plural said the ageing pattern is already visible in territories where the weight of older cohorts is strongest. For readers looking at retirement in Ourense province, the practical issue is not whether Galicia is “old” in the abstract, but that access planning may depend on distance to clinics, hospitals and care networks in an area with above-average ageing. (sanidad.gob.es) ### Where can readers verify the numbers themselves? Spain’s National Statistics Institute publishes the table “Proporción de personas mayores de cierta edad por comunidad autónoma,” which includes annual regional shares for residents aged 65 and over through 2025. Spain’s Health Ministry also publishes a 2025 regional table on inhabitants and ageing indicators that places Galicia at 27.03% aged 65 or older. (elplural.com) Those official datasets, together with the CEU-CEFAS study cited by El Plural on May 23, are the main reference points for checking how Galicia compares with Asturias, Castilla y León and the Basque Country. (elplural.com) (ine.es)