Mapping Territorial Attractiveness in Spain: A Multidimensional Index for Depopulation Assessment

Lidia Bonilla (), Alberto del Rey and Amand Blanes
Additional contact information
Lidia Bonilla: University of Salamanca, Sociology and Communication Department
Alberto del Rey: University of Salamanca, Sociology and Communication Department
Amand Blanes: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED)

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 2025, vol. 180, issue 3, No 21, 1815-1851

Abstract: Abstract Depopulation has become a critical issue in Spain due to its widespread impact and severe socio-economic consequences. Despite ongoing efforts by scientists and policymakers to address this challenge, effective solutions remain elusive. The concept of “territorial attractiveness” has gained traction in the literature, proposing that depopulation results from the absence of key attributes that appeal to both current residents and potential newcomers. Building on this framework, this study introduces the Spanish Municipal Attractiveness Index (SMAI), a composite index designed to assist researchers and policymakers in evaluating municipalities currently or potentially affected by depopulation. The SMAI was computed for all 8,131 Spanish municipalities by aggregating 41 variables in 7 dimensions using the Adjusted Mazziotta-Pareto Index. The findings confirm a strong relationship between territorial attractiveness and depopulation risk and reveal that geographically proximate areas tend to exhibit similar attractiveness levels. Analyses show that low attractiveness is predominantly concentrated in certain inland regions, with key risk factors including rurality, location outside urban areas, small population size, and high altitude. The results also underscore the need for a local and multidimensional approach to depopulation, as broader regional analyses and single-factor explanations might fail to capture the complexity of the phenomenon.

Keywords: Territorial attractiveness; Depopulation; Multidimensional index; Municipalities; Spatial analysis; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11205-025-03727-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:soinre:v:180:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s11205-025-03727-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11135

DOI: 10.1007/s11205-025-03727-2

Access Statistics for this article

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement is currently edited by Filomena Maggino

More articles in Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().