Characteristics and applications of regional open demographic data

Abstract

Purpose: Open data initiatives offer substantial opportunities for business use, supporting informed decision-making and the creation of economic value. This study analyses the characteristics and applications of regional open demographic data.

Design/methodology/approach: After presenting the overall landscape and its evolution during 2024 and 2025, based on a review of regional portals or the corresponding sections of the national portal, a simple random sampling of demographic datasets is conducted to develop a regional ranking grounded in the availability and quality of data reuse. A detailed assessment of the open demographic data and its usefulness for each region is then provided.

Findings: The findings indicate that only six of the seventeen regions offer high-quality open demographic data.

Originality/value: The study contributes to the literature by improving the understanding of how open data initiatives are designed and implemented in Spain. From a managerial perspective, it identifies recurrent shortcomings and proposes improvements aimed at ensuring that these initiatives genuinely support value creation. Additionally, the identification of exemplary cases—regarding dataset content, information encoding, and data formats, both in scope and level of openness—provides actionable guidance for public managers responsible for open data strategies.