Visualizing internal and international migration in the Spanish provinces during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Drawing on register records from 2019 to 2021, we analyse the impact of COVID-19 on internal and international migration across the 50 Spanish provinces (NUTS-3 regions). Our results show that net-international migration declined in all the provinces during the pandemic, particularly in high-population-density areas. Certain depopulated provinces registered significant positive net-internal migration rates, while the most populous areas displayed population losses through internal migration. Generally, the total migration balance decreased in most provinces, primarily driven by the drop in international migration. Changes in internal and international migration persisted over time, although patterns tended to converge to pre-pandemic levels in late 2021.