The report was presented this Thursday in Donostia-San Sebastian by Gaindegia President Iñaki Dorronsoro, Secretary Xabier Oleaga and the report coordinator, Anjeles Iztueta.El report can be consulted on the Gaindegia website. It offers data from across the Basque Country compared to the countries of the European Union (the average is designated in the EU27). Mr Oleaga has stressed that we have a habit of looking at Spain and France and that we then say that we are doing well, but looking at Europe, he has clarified that we are far behind those who are there.

The study is divided into four main blocks: demography, economy, society and the environment. These are the most significant X-ray data.

Population.

It has grown in two decades, from 2,953,004 inhabitants in 2004 to 3,231,287 in 2024. Growth has occurred in most countries, and especially in Navarre and Álava. In Zuberoa the population has been declining year after year. Bizkaia has a demographic weight of 35.9% and is followed by Gipuzkoa (22.6%) and Alta Navarra (21.0%). Zuberoa is the smallest territory, with 0.5% of the population.

Birth rate. The number of births per thousand inhabitants in 2000 was 8.7, while in 2022 it was 6.6. The EU27 average has risen from 10.5 in 2000 to 8.7 in 2022. Pollution continues to age considerably.

Migratory flows. Data differ between those from Spain and France or from other parts of the world: Basques born in Spain and France are 485,391 (15%) and those born in other countries (12.2%). Taken together, the sum of the countries of Spanish nationality in the South and those of France in the North accounts for 91.3% of the population.

Economy.

Domestic Product Bruto.El GDP has risen from €57,629 million in 2000 to €112,811 million in 2022. Per capita GDP stood at EUR 35,309, which corresponds to the EU average. In Europe, however, there are large differences in the parameters per person of GDP, ranging from EUR 3,700 to EUR 90,400. The Basque Country is above most of the countries of southern Europe, but below those of the north-west.

Disposable income. This concept better reflects the money each person has in consumption or savings throughout the year. The disposable income of the Basque Country in 2021 was EUR 19,584, higher than the EU average (EUR 17,800), but lower than that of other European countries in the north and west, such as Luxembourg (EUR 36,700) or Sweden (EUR 26,000).

It mainly exports to Spain, France and Germany. And import mainly from Spain, but more and more from China and the United States. Services are the strongest economic sector, which in the last eight years has grown from 63.2% to 65.3%, while industry has fallen from 27.3% to 26.1%.

Employment. The employment rate has increased in Euskal Herria, from 71% in 2002 to 75.7% in 2023 (the EU average is currently 75%). As far as the unemployment rate is concerned, it has fallen by 20 years from 12.6% to 8.1% (EU average 6.1%). In general, this is repeated: It is better than most countries in southern Europe and well above those in the north-west.

Society

There's a huge amount of data in this field. Here are some fields and numbers highlighted.

Basque. Regarding the number and proportion of Euskaldunes, in the last 20 years quantitative and proportional gains have occurred in almost the entire periphery of Hego Euskal Herria. In the heart of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa and in Lapurdi there are more Euskaldunes, but they have decreased proportionally, and losses have occurred at all levels in Behe Nafarroa and Zuberoa.

Poverty rate and social protection. Euskal Herria has a poverty risk rate of 16.2% in 2023, which in 2015 fell from 17.2% to 12.8%, but from 2019 it has increased slightly. Spain has a rate of 26.5% in the EU27, while Finland and Norway are at a rate of 15.8%.

As for social protection data, Euskal Herria has maintained between 2010-2019 the percentage of GDP of social protection spending, rising from 23.8% to 24.3%. The EU average is 28%. Here is one of the following countries: France (33.4%), Denmark (31.7%), Finland (30.1%), Germany (30.0%), Greece (25.4%) and Spain (24.1%) complete the ranking of countries with the highest representation.

Environment and energy

Greenhouse gas emissions in the Basque Country decreased by 11.8 CO2-eq(kt) (CO2 equivalent in kilotonnes) to 8.6 per inhabitant between 2005 and 2022. It is above average EU emissions, which have dropped from 9.9 to 7.8.

Energy. Energy consumption in the Basque Country does not show a clear downward trend and is among the highest energy consumption compared to the European states. Oil consumption has increased from 39.8% to 43.3%. The EU27, for its part, has reduced its year-on-year rate from 38% to 35% by 2020. Electricity consumption has decreased in the Basque Country (-1.7) and increased in the EU (+0.4). Concerning renewable energy, there has been an increase of 2.1 points in the Basque Country and 2.8 points in the EU. Euskal Herria only improves in natural gas, where consumption has fallen by 4 points and in the EU it has risen by 0.5 points.

Feeding. Over the past 15 years, food consumption in households in the Basque Country has decreased considerably: From 2,012,068 kilograms of 2008 to 1,779,969 kilograms of 2023. In general consumption, fresh fruit (91 kg), milk (74 kg) and fresh vegetables (57 kg) are the most consumed products. Fresh vegetable consumption has risen slightly, bread has fallen by almost half (21 kg less), and fresh fruit and milk have also decreased (-18).