Six inhabitants per square kilometer, the one that has lost the most companies in the last ten years in all of Spain and an average age of 57.6 years. That is the reality of Vitigudinoone of the four regions of Salamanca that occupy the top positions in a ranking in which no one would want to be, that of depopulation. But Vitigudino is not the only one that suffers the ravages of this evil that primarily plagues the west of the province, although it is the one that causes the most damage. Also among the 10 regions with the most depopulation in Spain are those of Ledesma, Peñaranda and La Fuente de San Esteban.
This is reflected in a new interactive platform that allows you to consult population data in all regions of Spain. It is about GeoComarcasan initiative that brings together in the same space all the data extracted from the INE regarding population and allows you to consult up to 12 demographic indicators.
On the platform, Salamanca is structured into six regions, since Béjar is included in the Sierra de Francia area and La Armuña in Salamanca. Of the six zones, these four are at risk due to extreme depopulationCiudad Rodrigo and La Sierra are at risk due to high depopulation and Alba has low depopulation. All of them have negative growth. Only the area delimited as Salamanca is saved thanks to the capital and the alfoz, which allows them to have positive growth.
Little population for so many kilometers
If we look at the variables set by the platform we find curious data, such as the population density. The lowest is that of La Fuente de San Esteban, with 5.1 inhabitants per square kilometer, followed by Ledesma with 5.3 inhabitants/km2 and Vitigudino with 6. If we compare it with the region of Salamanca, the evidence of depopulation is clear, since the Alfoz region has 148 inhabitants/km2.
Vitigudino is the region that has lost the most population in all of Salamanca in the last 25 years. His vegetative growth It is negative and stands at -35.5%, and if we look at the national data, it is only surpassed by the region of La Cabrera, in León.
Although the problem of depopulation is not unique to this Salamanca region, its situation is more serious since it surpasses the next region by ten points, which would be La Fuente de San Esteban with -25.9%, Ledesma and Peñaranda have -23.2% and the Alba region has -6.4%.
Four of the most depopulated regions are in Salamanca
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GeoComarcas
No companies or businesses
On the other hand, the Vitigudino region has other factors that set off alarm bells. It is the region that most business fabric has lost in the last ten years in all of Spain with a drop of -20.5 percent that has meant going from 813 companies in 2015 to 646 businesses in 2025. Peñaranda occupies third place in loss of companies, with -18%, while Fuente de San Esteban is the sixth with the highest loss of companies, -17%. For its part, Ledesma would be the twelfth with the lowest proportion of companies and the tenth that has lost the most population in the last five years with -6%. Even the Salamanca-La Armuña area has lost companies, with a drop of -5.6 percent and more than 800 fewer companies than ten years ago.
Few children and many adults
Vitigudino is also the third in Spain with older average agereaching an average of 57.6 years. In some municipalities these figures rise to 68.3 years in Saldeana or 68.1 in Mieza. The lowest average age is found in Vitigudino with 50 years. A reality that is shared by towns in other regions, such as Zamarra with an average age of 71.3 years, Garcirrey with 67.9 years, Malpartida with 67.8 years or Alameda de Gardón with 66.3 years. They are the municipalities with the highest average age in the entire province.
On the opposite side we find towns like Castellanos de Moriscos with an average of 37.3 years; Carbajosa de la Sagrada y Moriscos at 38.5 years old; Aldeatejada at 38.9 years old; Carrascal de Barregas with 39.4 and Doñinos with 39.7 years.
And ending with the Vitigudino region, in the data collected by GeoComarcas it is the fifth region in all of Spain with the aging index highest, standing at 715, that is, of the 14,126 inhabitants it has, 5,928 people are over 65 years old and only 829 are under 16.
Rich people vs. poor town
As for the average income, It is the Sierra area (Sierra de Francia and Sierra de Béjar) that has the lowest average income per household, standing at 27,346 euros per household. If we look at this variable by locality, Peñaparda is the locality with the lowest average income, 18,307 euros per household, followed by Villar de la Yegua with 18,990 euros and Horcajo de Montemayor with 20,056 euros.
On the opposite side are the municipalities of the Alfoz such as Cabrerizos, with an average income per household of 47,368 euros; Carrascal de Barregas with 44,645 euros and Aldeatejada with 43,446 euros.
First platform with regional data
The new GeoComarcas platform offers information by region, which makes it possible to precisely analyze where the most intense processes of depopulation and aging are concentrated, or which areas have the greatest development potential. The digital platform allows depopulation to be analyzed through interactive maps and comparable data between regions, all extracted from official sources of the National Statistics Institute (INE). The tool allows you to consult up to 12 key demographic indicators, such as population density, average age, aging index, population evolution or average household income, offering a detailed x-ray of the territorial reality and facilitating comparison between regions. GeoComarcas is now available for public consultation at geocomarques.es
