Spanish population records dip in first half of 2017

MADRID, Dec. 13 (Xinhua)-- Spain's population fell in the first half of 2017, according to figures published by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) on Wednesday.

The INE report recorded 187,703 births between January and June 2017, down 6.3 percent from the same period in 2016, while there were 219,835 deaths, up 4.5 percent year on year.

Of the newborns, 91,065 were female and 96,638 male. The report said 18.7 percent of the births were to foreign couples, a slight increase from the 18.2 percent in 2016.

The mortality rates were virtually the same for both sexes, with 109,912 men and 109,923 women passing away in the first six months this year.

There was a fall in the number of people getting married, with 68,769 marriages in the first six months, 6.19 percent lower year on year. Of those marriages, 1,966 were between people of the same sex. Enditem