The Andalusian strategy to combat the demographic challenge has revealed that seven municipalities in Córdoba maintain a "high" priority classification in the fight against population loss. Additionally, fifty Cordoban localities are at risk of depopulation to varying degrees, according to the annual update of the list that the Governing Council of the Junta de Andalucía acknowledged this Wednesday.

Of the seven localities with high risk, six are located in the northern regions of the province: Alto Guadiato (Fuente Obejuna, La Granjuela, and Valsequillo) and Los Pedroches (Pedroche, Santa Eufemia, and Torrecampo). The seventh town, Zuheros, is the only one from the South included in this priority list. Together, these towns barely total 8,800 inhabitants; Fuente Obejuna is the most populated with 4,357 residents, and Valsequillo is the smallest with 361.

The Ministry of Justice, Local Administration and Public Function uses nine fixed indicators for this classification, including population density, growth rate, aging index, and migratory rate. Risk is considered "high" when localities meet seven or more of these parameters, such as a density of less than 20 inhabitants per square kilometer or an average age exceeding 50 years.

In addition to the seven municipalities in "high" priority, another 21 towns in Córdoba are in "medium" priority, meeting between four and six risk indicators. These include Belalcázar, Belmez, Carcabuey, Hinojosa del Duque, and Iznájar, most of which are also located in Northern Córdoba. Finally, 22 localities are classified as "low" priority, such as Adamuz, Bujalance, and Montoro. The only change in this last group is the departure of Pedro Abad and the entry of Santaella, keeping the overall number of affected municipalities unchanged.

In total, 50 of the 77 Cordoban municipalities, representing 66%, are included in this strategy. Excluding provincial capitals and population centers with more than 10,000 inhabitants, only 15 towns in Córdoba escape the problems of demographic decline, among them Fuente Palmera, Rute, and Fernán Núñez.

The Ministry emphasizes that the demographic challenge is a "challenge" for society and public authorities, characterized by aging, low birth rates, and population concentration in urban areas, leaving rural areas increasingly dispersed and depopulated.