The seventh socioeconomic report for the Girona region reveals a significant increase in employment among individuals under 30, with a rise of 4.5% recorded in 2025. The report, prepared by the Diputació de Girona, indicates a positive trend in the job market, which has been recovering since 2021 following the pandemic.
According to the report, the total population of the Girona region stands at 830,429, reflecting a decade of continuous demographic growth. The unemployment rate decreased to 7.5%, with 352,795 people employed in the region, marking a 1.9% increase compared to the previous year.
Key findings of the report
One of the most notable aspects of the report is the growth in Social Security affiliations among those under 30, which now totals 63,730, accounting for 18.1% of all employed individuals. This trend has been steadily increasing, with a total growth of 17% since 2022.
The report also highlights job growth across all counties in Girona, with increases ranging from 0.4% in Ripollès to 2.2% in Selva. The services sector experienced the most significant growth at 2.1%, followed by construction and industry, each with a 2% increase.
However, the number of businesses in the region saw a slight decline of 0.2%, dropping from 28,082 to 28,035, marking the first decrease since the post-pandemic recovery. The services sector remains stable, housing 21,565 businesses, which make up 76.9% of the total. The most significant declines were observed in the industrial sector (-1.8%) and agriculture (-1.9%).
Demographic trends
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Girona region's population increased by 1.1% from the previous year. The foreign-born population now represents 21.9% of the total, amounting to 181,899 individuals. Additionally, the region is experiencing an ageing population, with a ratio of 125 individuals aged 65 and over for every 100 under 16.
This marks the tenth consecutive year of population growth, and projections from the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat) suggest that the region could approach a population of nearly one million (974,448) by 2049, a 17.3% increase from 2025.
Municipal financial health
The report also introduces new indicators related to municipal budget execution, showcasing a reduction in municipal debt by 6.9% and an increase in budgets. The average execution rate of expenditure budgets stood at 72.1%.
As a valuable resource for economic and social stakeholders in the region, the socioeconomic report includes a detailed analysis of the eight counties in Girona: Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, Cerdanya, Garrotxa, Gironès, Pla de l'Estany, Ripollès, and Selva. Notably, the Gironès county accounts for 26.8% of Social Security registrations, and together with Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, and Selva, they comprise over 82% of the total.
This year, the socioeconomic report has been made available in a digital format, allowing users to navigate through the counties and access specific information for each area, as well as overall data for the region.
