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The good, the bad and the ugly: What are the regional stereotypes across Spain?

Spaniards often have to deal with stereotypes from abroad which misrepresent them as just party-loving and lazy, but even among the inhabitants of the country’s 17 regions there are clichés that live on to this day which paint people from certain areas all with the same brush.

Published: 1 February 2022 16:06 CET
Updated: 5 February 2022 09:16 CET

Basques, Andalusians, Riojans and Catalans are all subject to regional stereotypes, as are people from all of Spain's other regions. Photos: Ander Guillenea, Cristina Quicler, Josep Lago, Oscar del Pozo/AFP

If you’ve lived in Spain long enough, you may have heard a joke that kicks off with “the curtain rises and an Andalusian, a Catalan and a Basque walk into a bar”.

The chiste (joke) then proceeds towards a punchline that will mock one or all of the subjects based on regional stereotypes, usually ones that aren’t positive.

It may seem like harmless fun but the last time the Spanish Centre of Social Studies (CIS) decided to carry out a survey among the general population asking them about regional stereotypes was back in 1994, perhaps because not everyone was happy with the outcome of the results.

This pigeonholing based on people’s region of origin has lived on nonetheless, as is the case in pretty much any country around the world.

The huge box office success of Spanish comedies Ocho Apellidos Vascos (Eight Basque Surnames) and Ocho Apellidos Catalanes (Eight Catalan Surnames), which deal heavily with regional stereotypes, is testament to these enduring clichés.

Sometimes stereotypes used in Spain can be due to admiration or affection, other times it’s light joshing, but on occasions it can be prejudiced and offensive.

stereotypes spain

Thousands of people in Gijón (Asturias) try to beat the world record of most people simultaneously pouring cider. But do Asturians really deserve their reputation for being heavy drinkers? Photo: MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP

More often than not it’s people from the southern half of Spain who get crossed off as lazy and frivolous, sometimes just because they have a southern Spanish accent, whereas those from the wealthier north may instead be regarded as brutish or rude right off the bat.

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that a stereotype is simply a generalisation about how a group of people behaves and although it may be true to some extent, it’s not universally valid and defining of a person’s character.

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So without further ado, and with the purpose of our foreign readership in Spain and abroad understanding the idiosyncrasies of Spanish society, here are the main stereotypes Spaniards resort to depending on the region they’re talking about.

Andalusian people: happy, funny, party-loving, lazy

Aragonese people: noble, stubborn, uncouth

Asturian people: patriotic, heavy drinkers

Balearic people: friendly, reserved, untrusting

Basque people: separatist, strong, honest, stubborn

Canarian people: friendly, happy, lazy

Cantabrian people: proud, dry character

Castellano-Leonese people: generous, serious, unassuming

Castellano-Manchego people: pure-blooded Spaniards, brutish

Catalan people: stingy, independent-minded, hard-working, proud

Extremeñan people: village-minded, lazy

Galician people: closed-minded, superstitious, untrusting, affectionate

Madrileño people: cocky, open-minded, proud

Murcian people: fun-loving, crude

Navarran people: noble, brutish

Riojan people: welcoming, heavy-drinking

Valencian people: party-loving, well-groomed, corrupt (mainly their politicians)

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So overall people from southern regions are considered lazy but friendly and fun by their northern countrymen, whereas southerners see people from colder northern Spain as having a drier character and more uncouth manner.

However, even though Spain and its people’s characters, priorities and language are clearly diverse, it doesn’t take long to see that in most cases a Basque or Catalan person has more in common with an Andalusian than with a Brit or German, even though they might not always like to admit it.

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A graffiti of Bill Murray in Barcelona. What would the star of Groundhog Day make of these things that never change about life in Spain? Photo: Josep LAGO / AFP

Of course, many things in Spain have changed over the last few decades. Spaniards are no longer as religious, traditional gender roles aren’t as prevalent, they have become very open-minded regarding certain issues such as LGBTQ rights, and there has been a big jump in wealth and development since the days of Franco’s dictatorship.

But, there is still a lot that remains the same. Here are just a few things that never change in Spain.

It still takes a long time to get anything official done

Unfortunately, while many processes have moved online in recent years and certain things have become easier to do, it still takes a long time to get anything official done in Spain and there is still a lot of red tape.

For example, getting a ‘cita previa’ for anything from residency cards to driving licenses and padrón certificates can take months. In cities such as Barcelona it has become so difficult to get a prior appointment for processes such as these, that companies are now selling appointments instead. But it’s not just official documents that take a long time, it’s likely in Spain that you’ll also have to wait months for other things such as planning permission for your property or years to get your foreign qualifications verified.

Job insecurity

High unemployment and job insecurity have always been a big issue in Spain and continue to be so. In 1980, the unemployment rate was 12.4 percent, in 1990 it was 11.8 percent. The latest Spanish government stats for 2021 show that Spain continues to be the EU country with the highest youth unemployment rate at 37.1 percent – ahead of Greece and Italy.

Statistics from November 2021 also show that Spain has the highest unemployment rate overall out of other European countries at 14.1 percent. This, along with a lot of short-term and temporary job contracts leads to a level of job insecurity in Spain.

Close-knit families

Family ties have long been extremely important to Spaniards. Many Spanish people choose to live relatively close to their families, meaning that they spend a lot of time together. It’s not uncommon for extended Spanish families to get together for meals at weekends, go on holidays together, or even for grandparents to provide childcare while the parents are working.

One reason that Spanish families are so close could be the fact that Spaniards often still live with their parents well into their 30s. According to Eurostat data, Spain is the sixth country in Europe with more young people between 25 and 34 years old still living with their parents. The average age of emancipation in Spain is 29.5, compared to 26.2 years on average in the rest of Europe.

Spaniards generally don’t speak great English

While there are obvious exceptions, it is generally considered that Spaniards don’t speak very good English, compared with their European counterparts. A report in 2020 by the foreign language company Education First, for example, which judged proficiency in English, placed Spaniards at the bottom of the table compared to the rest of the EU.

Unlike other countries, the number of Spaniards who can speak English has hardly changed in the last 10 years. Spaniards aged between 25 and 34 have been left far behind their peers in Portugal, Greece and Italy, which had similarly low rates of English speakers 10 years ago.

This means that while you may be able to get away with not knowing much Spanish if you do things that tourists do such as ordering in a restaurant, when it comes to more complicated things such as visiting the doctor or dealing with officials, your language skills had better be up to scratch.

August is still holiday time

August traditionally has been the month when everything closes down in Spain and everyone goes on holiday, and this is still true today. Don’t even think about trying to get anything official done in August or get any work done on your house, because it will be impossible. Even in major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, many businesses and offices will close completely throughout August.

There’s no point fighting against it, just embrace the August spirit and join the Spanish at the beach. Let’s face it, in most of Spain, it’s really too hot to do anything else.

Separatist sentiments persist

While separatist movements in Spain have both waned and gained in popularity over the last few decades, it’s true that these sentiments remain in particular regions of Spain. This is most notable in Catalonia and the Basque Country. While the Basque separatist group ETA finally dissolved in 2018 and the latest survey from 2021 shows that support for independence falls to historical lows at 21 percent, there are still many Basques who have separatist sentiments.

In Catalonia on the other hand, the latest survey from last year shows that just under half (48.7 percent) don’t want independence, meaning that there is still a strong movement for it.

The economy is still largely service-based

Spain’s economy is largely based on services such as tourism, hospitality and retail, and is still way behind other EU countries such as France and Germany when it comes to diversifying.

The tourism industry really kicked off in the 1960s and by the turn of the century the 40 million international visitors the country received annually meant it was already more important to the Spanish economy than the waining manufacturing industry. In 1975, industrial production represented 30 percent of Spain’s GDP, nowadays it’s 16 percent.

Official statistics show that during the last 10 years, over 60 percent of Spain’s GDP came from services, while around 20 percent was from industry and only around 2-3 percent from agriculture.

Crazy traditions live on

Spain still loves its crazy festivals and traditions which began decades or centuries ago, no matter how silly, absurd or dangerous they might be. In Catalonia, pitchfork-wielding devils still spray fire through the streets, in La Rioja they soak each other with wine, in Burgos people jump over babies and in Valencia, they set fire to large paper mâché sculptures. Yes, festivals are just as popular as ever in Spain and traditions remain strong, with the younger generations always getting involved.

Unfortunately, one of these crazy traditions is bullfighting, which sadly remains popular across much of the country. While the sport was abolished in Catalonia in 2012, it is still a strong tradition in places such as Andalusia and Navarra. According to official government figures, however, the annual rate of attendance at bullfights declines more and more every year, especially among young Spaniards. In 2018 the number of bullfighting events held in the country fell to a historic low of 1,521.

Good weather is almost guaranteed

While Spain does get its fair share of storms, flash flooding and even snow, most of Spain generally enjoys good weather. Winters can be cold, but are generally sunny with blue skies, and in the summer, you can almost guarantee that the weather will be good enough to go to the beach for at least a couple of months. According to Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET, the country enjoys around 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. In most of Spain, the summer months are the hottest and driest. Daytime temperatures, particularly in July and August can often reach over 30°C.

There are some exceptions, particularly in the northern regions, such as Galicia, where the average summer temperatures are around 22-23°C.

Food is still very important

Food remains a very important thing in Spanish life. Family celebrations, festivals and social occasions almost always involve a good meal.

In fact, a 2019 study by Spanish TV channel Antena 3, showed that Spaniards spend an average of €800 per year on eating out and that the Spanish go out to eat a lot more than in other Western European countries, but spend a lot less than nearby European countries such as France and Germany.

It also showed that Spaniards visit bars 161 times a year, more than the French and Germans who visit bars about 150 times, but less than the Italians who visit 258 times per year.

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