Spain plans to grant 500,000 undocumented migrants legal status, bucking a trend among many Western nations that are cracking down on immigration.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has for years sought to increase immigration to Spain: The country ranks as the seventh oldest in the world by median age, and spends around 12% of its GDP on pensions.
Despite fears of an impact on domestic workers, Sánchez said the unemployment rate has fallen by 40% even as Spain has added two million foreign workers.
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Though facing similar demographic challenges, much of the West has turned against migration, while East Asian governments have maintained a historic aversion to it, with economists warning the decision could cripple their economies.
A chart showing pension spending as a share of GDP for several nations.