Empire Rising: Spain

Before this, the population growth rates in European countries did not show significant fluctuations. After all, many people in European countries chose to immigrate abroad, and this population loss was also an issue that needed consideration by European countries.

It was Spain that experienced relatively rapid development during the 11 years from 1869 to 1880, thereby indirectly reducing Spain’s emigration population.

After all, if people can live in their hometown, most are unwilling to leave their native place to start a new life in unfamiliar lands.

It is worth mentioning that in the latter part of 1879, Carlo welcomed his third child, his second son Martin.

After the birth of Princess Sofia, Carlo decided to let Queen Sophie rest for a while before considering the issue of continuing to have children.

Though expanding the royal family is important, ensuring Queen Sophie’s health is equally crucial. Given the medical technology of this era, what Carlo could do was to ensure Queen Sophie’s health as much as possible, preventing any accidents during childbirth.

After two years of careful recuperation, Carlo and Queen Sophie resumed their plans to have children.

Prince Martin was born a year later, and as Carlo’s second son, Prince Martin was granted the title of Duke of Alcobendas at birth, starting at the pinnacle of Spanish nobility.

The birth of young Martin delighted Prince Juan Fernando and Princess Sofia immensely, and the two showed much affection for their little brother.

The two youngsters spent time with young Martin whenever they could, while Queen Sophie watched the sibling bond unfold with relief, often casting a satisfied glance at Carlo.

As Carlo’s eldest son, Prince Juan Fernando was already five years old this year.

The specially tailored elite aristocratic education Carlo arranged for him would commence this year; as Spain’s heir to the throne, Prince Juan Fernando must be exceptionally capable as Crown Prince, and Carlo held great expectations for him.

Compared to her brother, Princess Sofia’s life appeared much more relaxed. On the one hand, she was still very young, born in November 1876, Sofia was actually just three and a half years old.

At such an age, there’s no need for overly rigorous education, aside from learning some early Spanish vocabulary and etiquette. Princess Sofia still had plenty of spare time available.

After Prince Martin was born, Carlo and Queen Sophie indeed adhered to Spain’s fertility encouragement policy, setting an example for the Spanish people.

Driven by Carlo, Spaniards generally showed considerable willingness toward reproduction. Yet, Spain’s birth rate revealed a trend of higher in rural areas and lower in urban areas, which was also something the Spanish Government needed to focus on and improve.

The reason why birth rates show higher in rural areas and lower in urban areas is quite understandable.

Against the backdrop of rising average annual income in Spain, Spaniards did not resist having children; some couples were even enthusiastic about it, as the country would cover part of the expenses for more children.

The primary reason is that rural residents, compared to urban residents, have more disposable time. A substantial portion of urban population consists of workers, whose working hours average over ten hours.

Add to this the fact that most workers engage in physically demanding labor, leaving them with little energy to have children after working over ten hours.

Although workers gain a day off each month, who would use such precious time to have children? Besides resting, most opt to explore the city, experiencing different lifestyles and the newly opened shops and more prosperous streets.

This is precisely why the Spanish Government decided to target its fertility encouragement policy on workers and urban populations.

If these individuals can be motivated to actively reproduce, Spain’s birth rate would naturally see further improvement, and population growth would steadily increase.

Of course, promotional policies aside, appropriate subsidies and welfare incentives are also necessary.

Carlo also reviewed the report submitted by the Andalusia Region, where the continuous two-year population birth rate of 5% was not without reason.

As Spain’s most populous region, Andalusia’s financial condition was relatively favorable. The regional government formulated welfare policies to encourage population reproduction, including but not limited to:

Parents who have had children are eligible for unemployment benefits from the government after losing their jobs. For each additional child, the unemployment benefits increase by 15%, up to a maximum of 60%.

If both spouses are unemployed, the rate increases to 30%, with the cap raised to 150%.

Moreover, parents of children can enjoy certain tax and rent reduction policies. The Andalusia Region provides citizens with rental properties at relatively low costs; parents can further reduce rent on these already affordable properties, minimizing expenses.

Of course, when buying property, the same discounts apply. For each child, buyers receive a 15% discount on house purchases, with a maximum discount of 60%.

This means families with over four children can purchase houses below cost price within the Andalusia Region’s city center.

Though Andalusia doesn’t boast any particularly large cities, houses priced below cost hold significant appeal.

Coupled with a series of other subsidies, although each subsidy amount is not substantial individually, they collectively form a noteworthy sum.

Under such policies and welfare conditions, it is only natural for Andalusia’s population birth rate to increase.