A composite population
In four decades, a landlocked community surviving on livestock and meager agriculture has become a modern tourist market focused on services! These changes are illustrated by spectacular demographic figures: from 5,000 inhabitants in 1940, the population increased to 35,000 in 1980, to reach nearly 66,000 inhabitants in 2000, and more than 75,000 in 2010. At the time of the latest estimates (2022), it stood at 77,975 inhabitants! During the last century, Andorra was a refuge for people fleeing the fascist regimes, and then an employer, as the construction and operation of new infrastructures made necessary by this new economic dynamism required a large workforce. As a result, Andorrans are currently in the minority in their territory: of the approximately 78,000 inhabitants, 35% are Andorran, 40% Spanish, 10% Portuguese, 7% French and 8% other nationalities. It is also worth noting that the Andorran population is predominantly male, as the foreign workforce is traditionally male, and the foreign population is well represented in the 20-64 age group, while the Andorran population is predominantly under 20 years old. Due to the mountainous topography of the principality, 88% of its inhabitants are concentrated in urban areas: Andorra la Vella, the capital, accounts for almost 30% of the total population and its neighbor Escaldes for about 20%. The parishes of Encamp, Sant Julià and La Massana are also fairly populated, while those of Canillo and Ordino have only 7% and 5% of the total population respectively.
Catalan and the "Andorran spirit
The Andorran people are not well known abroad and often suffer from the image of being smugglers or inhabitants of a tax haven. If you were to ask an Andorran to express himself, he would say: "A closed but friendly people, he is known for showing great solidarity towards his fellow citizens and is endowed with a flexible spirit of openness towards his visitors and more particularly towards his neighbours, whom he distrusts and guards against all the same. Faithful to the country's motto "Union is strength, touch me if you dare! "the Andorran has the merit of knowing how to make himself respected in life as in business. ».
Although everyone in Andorra speaks Castilian Spanish and a good number of French, the official language of the principality remains Catalan, even though Spanish Catalonia is constantly fighting to give this language its official role. Despite the fact that the problems between Spanish Catalans and Andorrans are considerably different - particularly in economic terms - the Catalan identity cements the two entities together, if only in their attachment to the only football club dear to their hearts: FC Barcelona!
