Spain recorded the highest number of big game hunting in 2023 since official statistics have existed.
781,000 animals were killed, according to the Advance of the Forestry Statistics Yearbook of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
The paradox is that this record was reached with the number of hunting licenses at historic lows.
Fewer hunters, but more animals hunted
The number of hunting permits dropped drastically in the last decades.
From the historic high of 1.4 million licenses granted in 1985, the figure fell to 610,000 in 2023, just 2% more than the minimum of the previous year.
However, the contrast with previous years is notable.
“In 1999, about 150,000 of these animals were killed (five times less than currently) when there were twice as many hunting permits as today,” highlights the Yearbook.
The key lies in the big game rifles. These weapons have increased by 150% since the year 2000, when there were 154,000 licensed rifles, exceeding 390,000 in 2023.
Thus, while the general permits fell by 50%, the rifled long guns grew exponentially.
The animal that suffers the most from hunting in Spain
The wild boar is consolidated as the most hunted species, with 443,000 specimens killed in 2023.
It is followed by the deer, with 165,000 animals, and then the roe deer, which reached a historic record of 91,000 deaths.
“The rifles have broken their own record of large animals killed in Spain: 781,000 pieces killed in 2023, including deer, roe deer, fallow deer, or wild boars,” the report states.
This is equivalent to 21,000 tons of animals.
“Each season, hunters can kill almost unlimited wild boars with the aim of containing the species,” warns the Institute of Hunting Resources (IREC) of the CSIC and the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
The problem of overpopulation despite hunting in Spain
Despite the record figures of hunting, the overpopulation of wild boars continues to be a problem.
In 2025, special alerts were declared for this species in Andalusia, Community of Madrid, Valencian Community, and Catalonia.
The absence of natural predators, especially the Iberian wolf, has left hunters as “palliatives” against the ecological imbalance, according to the CSIC.
On the other hand, small game hunting in Spain showed a significant decline: from 18 million animals killed in 2022 to 14 million in 2023, including birds, rabbits, foxes, and hares.
The Spanish forest context
The 2023 Advance of Forestry Statistics also highlights the importance of Spanish forests.
The forest area reaches 28.5 million hectares, 56% of the national territory, with more than 5.6 million hectares of dehesas and holm oaks.
“The Spanish forest area continues to grow and consolidate as a fundamental pillar for biodiversity, the rural economy, and the fight against climate change,” concludes the report.
In 2023, the logging reached 16.75 million cubic meters, with Galicia leading the production, followed by the Basque Country and Castilla y León.
The exploitation of forest products such as cork, chestnuts, pine nuts, and mushrooms also continues.
