Research on community resilience has been ongoing for decades. Several studies
have been carried out on resilience in different groups and contexts. However, few address the
relationship between community resilience and depopulated rural areas. This study aims to dig
deeper into this, considering the concrete impact of population decline in Spain. We carried
out a systematic review of the most relevant contributions. A search protocol was developed
and used to consult ten databases. Different combinations of terms such as ‘community
resilience’, ‘rural’, and ‘depopulation’, or related terms, were used. 22 scientific texts were
analysed. We obtained a set of publications that demonstrate the heterogeneity of research
methods, approaches and analytical processes applied to the study of this relationship. A mostly
qualitative approach was observed, either as the main technique or complementary to
documentary reviews. The results underscore the complex nature of rural depopulation and
related constructs. It emphasizes the specific importance of community resilience in these
territoriesin terms of social capital, endogenous resources, sustainability, economic dynamism,
local responsibility and effective governance. The findings identify a scarce mention to social
intervention professions, which should have a more important role due to their core values. In
the studies reviewed, it appears as an emerging and scientifically relevant area to explore, both
for investigation and intervention purposes. The strength of a multidisciplinary approach to
addressing the phenomena appears in the discussion as a main potential line of research.
