Population and demographic structure

The population of Sober evolved like most of the two Galician municipalities, registering a continuous loss of inhabitants in the period from 1991 to 2022. In the case of Sober, this corresponds to a decrease of 1,600 inhabitants, or a decrease of around -42%. This decline far exceeds the -1.5% decline recorded in Galicia and the -15.7% decline observed in the province of Lugo during the same period.

In the last ten years of the period analysed, from 2012 to 2022, there was a population decline of -10.7%. This unfavourable demographic development is accompanied by a transition in the distribution of the entities that shows a certain deterioration in their population. In particular, between 2002 and 2022 all major sober population groups experienced a significant decline. The group that suffered the largest relative decline was the over-64 age group, with a reduction of 32%, or a loss of 465 persons. The employable population also decreased by 22.45%, losing 311 persons in this period. The new population has a more moderate decrease of 11.8%, which means a reduction of 20 young people in the municipality. This process of demographic deterioration reflects the narrowing of the base of the population pyramid and the increase in the average population.

The average age of two inhabitants of Sober in 2022 reached 57.5 years, which places it exactly ten years above the Galician average and seven and a half years above that of the province of Lugo. Men have a slightly higher average age than two men, standing at 59.2 years for women and 55.7 for men.

The Total Dependency Ratio (TDR) in Sober reached 106% in 2022, after remaining stable since 2008, even showing some decrease between 2011 and 2021. In 2022, this municipal index stands out at a distance from the corresponding provincial index, 66%, and the regional index, 62%. Given that we start from a very high initial level of IDB in 1998, with 105%, the increase in the dependent population in Sober since that year is, therefore, relatively slight and substantially lower than that recorded in the province of Galicia as a whole. The GDI seems to have stagnated between 2004 and 2010 at around 110% and, as mentioned above, to have fallen between 2011 and 2021. This is explained by the recovery of the population in the municipality’s working capacity, which has remained stable since 2013, unlike the population over 64 years of age, which continues to decline significantly.

Economy

The evolution of Gross Disposable Product (GDP) follows, in general terms, the same growth trend as the Galician municipalities as a whole and the province of Lugo. After an initial decline between 2010 and 2012, growth rates are positive until the period of 2018, after which GDP falls slightly in the municipality, with a reduction of -1.8%. Real GDP falls by 12.4% in 2020 compared to 2018, in this way, in the intensity of the behaviour observed, both in what happened in its province, with -7.2%, and in the autonomous community, with -7.7% Subsequently, Galicia as a whole presents a recovery of total GDP with a growth of 10.5% until 2022.

The Gross Disposable Income (GDI) shows a growth trend substantially parallel to that of Galicia and the province, although its level remains below the provincial and autonomous community levels. Specifically, the increase between 2002 and 2019 was approximately 1%, compared to the 11% corresponding to the province of Lugo and, to a similar extent, the 13% registered in Galicia. This low growth caused a widening of the gap between the average household income in Galicia, Lugo and Sober, reaching 11,229 euros per inhabitant of the municipality in 2019, some 5,500 euros below the Galician average and 4,500 below the provincial average. Because of the pandemic, the RBD suffered a generalised fall, reducing the per capita income of the municipality by 3.14% in 2020, a reduction practically identical to that suffered in Galicia as a whole, with -3%, although somewhat greater in its magnitude. experienced in the province of Lugo, with -1.8%.

Using the register of social security affiliations as an estimate of municipal employment, between 2011 and 2022, Sober had a growth trend in the number of total affiliations in the municipality of 3.72%, although at a lower rate than that recorded in Galicia, with 7.8%, and significantly higher than that of the province of Lugo, with 0.56%.

As for the primary sector in Sober, a reduction of 8.5% was recorded, lower than in the territory. This sector loses affiliations, with 5.2% of affiliated persons, and represents 24.3% of affiliations in the municipality, exceeding the proportion of 21% at the Galician level and 18% at the provincial level.

In the secondary sector the number of people fell considerably, slightly over 8.2%, in the province this decrease reached 11.4% and in Galicia it was close to 3%. This sector remains stable.

The tertiary sector is gaining weight with an increase of 12.63% in the town, very much in line with the increase in the province and Galicia. In Sober it represents 67% of the affiliations.

These results suggest that the local and regional economy may have experienced less impact during the pandemic, due to the productive structure where the agri-food sector has a greater weight in the total number of affiliations.

In 2022, Sober had an activity rate of 64.6%. The employment rate was 60%. The unemployment rate drops from 17.4% in 2011 to 10.5% in 2022. The number of unemployed experiences a considerable decrease, reducing the number of unemployed by 42.3%, while the number of employed increases modestly, increasing by almost 4% between 2011 and 2022.

Energy resources

Sober has eight electricity production facilities using photovoltaic technology, with a total installed capacity of 54.7 kW.

The electricity consumption of Sober in 2023 was 4,865.44 MWh. Residential consumption was 2,972.00 MWh. Utility consumption, including municipal services, was 1,565.09 MWh. Industry consumed 328.35 MWh.