National identity of people in Catalonia 2023
Catalonia in Spain
The Catalan participation in the Spanish GDP was estimated at 20.37 percent in 2022. This figure maintained steadily over the last few years, with an average share of about 20 percent of the total GDP of the country. The average GDP per capita in Catalonia was significantly higher than that of the rest of Spain at 32,330 euros in 2021. During the same period, Spain’s average GDP per capita was 25.460 euros, whereas the EU average stood at 29,910 euros per capita. As of 2023, Catalonia was the second most populous autonomous community in Spain with about 7.9 million people.
The Catalan language: a symbol of the region’s identity
The Catalan and Spanish languages coexist in the coastal region of Catalonia, both enjoying official and equal status. As of 2022, about half of the population of Catalonia considered Spanish their mother tongue, whereas about 38 percent reported being native speakers of Catalan. Despite the fact that the vast majority of books in Spain are published in Spanish, the Catalan language ranked second in the country’s editorial scene at about nine percent of book publications, revealing the weight of this language among other languages spoken in Spain. In fact, Catalan was one of the most translated languages in this country according to the latest studies.