San Xoán de Río, the ‘startup’ village: it went from losing 40 residents a year to winning a European award for its commitment to rural innovation

San Xoán de Río, a small municipality of 510 residents in the Spanish province of Ourense, has transitioned from facing severe population decline to winning a European award for rural innovation. When the current mayor took office in 2019, the village was losing between 30 and 40 residents annually.

Through an active focus on rural innovation, the municipality reversed this demographic trend and has now become Spain's first certified Startup Village. This transformation highlights new approaches to combating depopulation in rural European communities.