A huge swathe of the interior of Spain is slowly dying as people migrate to cities and the coast, leaving only the elderly behind.

In 22 Spanish provinces, a third of the population is over aged 65. In the worst-affected regions, this figure rises to 41% (the national average is 16.7%).

A vast region just two hours' drive from Madrid is becoming Europe's largest desert in terms of population. The provinces of Soria, Guadalajara, Teruel and Cuenca have an average of 1.63 inhabitants for every square kilometre, compared with 1.8 in Lapland and three people for every square kilometre in Siberia.

Getty Images photographer David Ramos documented life in the villages around Molina de Aragon in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha.