In May, vehicle registrations in Spain fell by 41.02% with respect to May of 2008. In total, 80,626 cars were registered and 1,051,257 new cars were sold in the last twelve months, 41.93% less than the year before.
The breakdown of car sales figures for the month of May is:
- Commercial vehicles sold: 9,466, 54.03% less than in May of 2008.
- Passenger cars regitrations: 71,160, which represents a figure of 38.71% less than in May of 2008.
Spain is the 14th-placed country in ranking of 135 countries based on number of vehicle registrations.
A very useful variable for estimating the level of economic wealth enjoyed by Spaniards residents, when compared to the other countries in the ranking, is the number of vehicles sold or registered per thousand residents in the last year. With annual sales of 22.74 cars per 1,000 residents, 1.74 of them in the last month, Spain, occupies 29th place in the ranking.
As can be seen, the number of registrations per thousand residents has fallen in the last year. A drop in registrations generally indicates a fall in consumer confidence and, when it is sustained, a recession in the real economy.
Changes in Spanish vehicle registration numbers are shown in the tables below. As several studies indicate, these changes are very much related to changes in GDP and, hence, to a country's economic situation. Sales have declined since 1999, as 1,610,301 were registered that year, as have the number of registrations per thousand residents, which that year numbered 39.95.
Here we show you the progression of vehicle registrations in Spain. You can see car registrations in other countries in en vehicle registrations and see all the economic information about Spain in en Spanish economy.