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Foreigners Make Up 10 Percent of Spain's Population
(April 2009) Once an important source of migrants to the rest of Europe, Spain has emerged as an immigrant magnet. Ten percent of the population is foreign-born—up tenfold from a century ago—and the foreign share of the labor force has risen higher, to about 8 percent. Preliminary results of a new study of foreign-born residents in Spain will provide needed data on this large population. The study found that Spanish immigrants come from a relatively limited number of countries, compared with the flow to other European counties. In 2007, just three countries (Morocco, Romania, and Ecuador) represented 30 percent of foreigners. Seven other countries, primarily in Latin America and Europe, contributed another 30 percent.
Most of Spain's foreign-born population arrived recently: 70 percent since 1997 and 41 percent since 2002. Immigration has become a major social and political issue in the country. Although the Spanish government is encouraging unemployed foreigners to go home, especially in light of the economic downturn, Spain is likely to remain a favored destination for immigrants.
—Mary Mederios Kent, senior demographic editor
References: David Reher and Miguel Requena, "The National Immigrant Survey of Spain: A New Data Source for Migration Studies in Europe," Demographic Research 20, Article 12 (2009), accessed online at www.demographic-research.org/Volumes/Vol20/12/20-12.pdf, on April 13, 2009; and "Spain, Italy, Turkey," Migration News 15, no. 1 (2009), accessed online at http://migration.ucdavis.edu/MN/, on April 13, 2009.
U.S. Teen Birth Rate Up for Second Straight Year
(April 2009) New statistics for 2007 reveal that the birth rate for American teens increased for the second year in a row. Although the increase is small, it is notable because it marks the end of a nearly 15-year decline in teen birth rates. Preliminary statistics for 2007 show there were 42.5 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, up from 40.5 births per 1,000 in 2005.
Birth rates increased for other age groups as well in 2007—yielding the largest number of births ever recorded for the United States—but the increase for teens is a cause for concern because teen mothers tend to complete fewer years of education and have lower incomes than women who wait until they are older to have their first child. The children of teen mothers have a greater risk of academic and behavior problems in school and of having a baby while they are still teenagers.
Although Hispanics have the highest teen birth rates, Hispanic teens did not lead the recent increase. Rates increased for the 15-to-19 age group in all race and ethnic groups except Hispanics. The rate actually fell slightly for Hispanic teens between 2006 and 2007.
—Mary Mederios Kent, senior demographic editor
References: Brady E. Hamilton, Joyce A. Martin, and Stephanie J. Ventura, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2007," National Vital Statistics Reports 57, no. 12 (2009), accessed online at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_12.pdf, on April 14, 2009; and Emily Holcombe, Kristen Peterson, and Jennifer Manlove, "Ten Reasons to Still Keep the Focus on Teen Childbearing," Child Trends Research Brief (2009), accessed online at www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2009_04_01_RB_KeepingFocus.pdf, on April 15, 2009.
Just 20 Percent of India's Urban Poor Live in Slums
(April 2009) Popular accounts of urban poverty in the developing world portray residents in vast slums, struggling to meet basic needs and indeed, 1 billion of the world's population now live in slums. However, the relationship between these neighborhoods and poverty may not be so clear-cut. A study of urban India concluded that 80 percent of all urban households officially classified as poor in 2005 lived in nonslum neighborhoods. The study also found that a significant percentage of slum households have income levels above the official poverty line. In Mumbai, for example, space is at such a premium that slum dwellers must pay rent for their makeshift housing and slum neighborhoods are filled with home-based businesses. PRB's Population Bulletin, "Urban Poverty and Health in Developing Countries," makes the case for assessing urban poverty by more than income-based measures, but including access to health care and services. And, poor urban residents not only live in slums in large cities but are dispersed across a variety of neighborhoods in small cities and towns.
—Eric Zuehlke, editor
References: Mark R. Montgomery, "Urban Poverty and Health in Developing Countries," Population Bulletin 64, no. 2 (forthcoming); and S. Chandrasekhar and Mark R. Montgomery, "Broadening Poverty Definitions in India: Basic Needs in Urban Housing," working paper, International Institute for Environment and Development (2009).