Spain is at risk of a 'demographic time bomb,' and there's already a nearly-abandoned area twice the size of Belgium

Last year, the number of deaths in Spain outpaced the number of births at the fastest rate since the country began keeping records in the 1940s.

Women in Spain wait longer than most European women to give birth, Business Insider previously reported, and Spaniards generally live longer than anyone else in the European Union.

These factors leave Spain at the risk of becoming a "demographic time bomb," or a place where life expectancy rises while fertility rates fall.

Demographers say countries need fertility rates of 2.2 children per woman to maintain a stable population. Women in Spain, however, have an average of 1.5 children, according to CIA data. The Spanish government hired a special commissioner in January 2017 to find ways to combat these low birth rates.

While Spain's population increased in 2017 for the second straight year, the change was partly due to a significant rise in migrant arrivals, according to Reuters.

One village in Spain's northeastern Aragon region already shows what a demographic time bomb can do - the town has a near-zero population, aging residents, and no childbirths.

Juan Martin Colomer and his wife, Sinforosa Sancho, said they are the only residents left in La Estrella, Spain, a village that once had more than 200 people, according to Reuters.

La Estrella is in the middle of an emerging population desert - an area twice the size of Belgium with fewer than three residents per square mile in the area. The area may soon become the least populated location in the EU. Take a look.