Overview
- The CSIC’s 2026 report found 10,178,625 people aged 65 or older in Spain, equal to 20.7% of the population and up 250,257 people or 2.5% in one year.
- Centenarians reached 17,038 in 2025, a fivefold increase since 1981, and about eight in ten centenarians are women.
- The population’s average age has climbed from about 33 years in 1975 to 44.55 years in 2025, showing long-term demographic ageing driven by lower fertility and longer lifespans.
- The report highlights social shifts such as a fall in the share of widowed older people and a rise in separated or divorced older adults, with roughly 30% of women 65+ living alone, and it notes 96.3% mobile-phone use among 65–74-year-olds.
- The CSIC projects the 65+ cohort could exceed 16 million by 2046, a possibility that experts say will require person-centered care planning and policy changes to address unequal needs across regions, sexes and income groups.