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Active population. By sex. Counties and Aran, areas and provinces

Active population. By sex. Counties and Aran, areas and provinces Catalonia Catalunya
Population aged 16 years and more Employed population Unemployed population Total active population
2022 6,553,924 3,333,477 365,357 3,698,834
2021 6,522,907 3,201,006 476,662 3,677,668
Source: Idescat, based on the INE Population and Housing Census.
Active population. By sex. Men. Counties and Aran, areas and provinces Catalonia Catalunya
Population aged 16 years and more Employed population Unemployed population Total active population
2022 3,198,115 1,747,095 154,777 1,901,872
2021 3,182,830 1,680,972 210,241 1,891,213
Source: Idescat, based on the INE Population and Housing Census.
Active population. By sex. Women. Counties and Aran, areas and provinces Catalonia Catalunya
Population aged 16 years and more Employed population Unemployed population Total active population
2022 3,355,809 1,586,382 210,580 1,796,962
2021 3,340,077 1,520,034 266,421 1,786,455
Source: Idescat, based on the INE Population and Housing Census.

Last update: June 28, 2024.

Methodological note

Definition of concepts

Active population
People aged 16 years or more that have an occupation or are available to do so and are performing actions oriented towards finding employment.

Methodological aspects

The population census is defined as the series of operations that consist of collecting, summarizing, evaluating, analysing and publishing data of a demographic, cultural, economic and social nature of the country's inhabitants and its political-administrative divisions at a given point in time. This operation is aimed at persons residing in dwellings (whether family dwellings or accommodation) or in collective establishments (hotels, residences, nursing homes, etc.).

Censuses are exhaustive counts of the population and all respondents are required to answer them accurately. Censuses are protected and their data can only be disseminated as aggregate numerical information.

The questionnaires used in the various censuses and local censuses have not always included the same questions or the same items and, therefore, there may be variations from one year to another.

The Population and Housing Censuses 2011 are a state-wide statistical operation conducted by the National Statistical Institute (INE) and that is being undertaken for the first time by European mandate. The reference date is November 1, 2011. The Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat) has collaborated with the INE in the design phase of the project, supporting the communication campaign in Catalonia and participating in the treatment of information on certain census variables.

Data of the population by relationship with the activity are presented, which included information about the profession, the professional situation, the branch of activity and the activity sector. Furthermore, unpaid work data was also incorporated.

In the various statistical operations the item "employed" was not always the same. Comparability of data from the last two censuses is affected by the mismatch of the different options in response to the question regarding the activity; thus, in 2011 the options "household chores" and "receiving some kind of teaching and/or training" do not exist, as they are formulated in separate questions.

For the year 2011, the Catalan Classification of Economic Activities 2009 (CCAE-2009) and the Catalan Classification of Occupations (CCO-2011) have been used.

You can get more information about these statistics in the methodology.