The purpose of this book is to provide scholars and researchers, as well as decision-makers in the public and private sphere, with a set of materials documenting the evolution of Spanish society and the Spanish economy across seventy years of the 20th century.

The statistical data contained in its pages are indispensable for an understanding of the changes taking place in Spain and its various regions and provinces over this long stretch of the recently concluded century. From the underdeveloped, stagnant economy of the first decades of the study period, Spain has transformed itself into an advanced country taking its place in the group of the world’s developed nations. This change has occurred across all territorial units, none of which has either led the rest for any sustained period or been excluded from the overall growth trend of recent decades.

Being able to track the evolution over this lengthy period of a broad set of demographic, productive, employment and fiscal variables is a valuable resource for analysts of economic growth, regional development and problems of inter-territorial cohesion. Additionally, the historical perspective the book provides makes it a useful starting point for further research. The vast amounts of statistical information it contains are drawn from the biannual studies on Spanish national income and its distribution by province conducted since 1955.

The definition of some of the study variables has been progressively refined, as have the methods used in its preparation and the key official statistics. The latest task has been to consolidate the methodological changes introduced along the way, to adjust the estimates provided in light of the new statistical sources available and to standardize the series. Here, as in all previous editions on national income, the decisive contributions of the author, Julio Alcaide, have made this a touchstone for regional development studies in Spain. With this volume, the BBVA Foundation seeks to add to the wealth of detailed, rigorous statistical information on the Spanish economy, by offering a broader historical perspective at the level of both central government and territorial units.