Spain vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Spain
10.19 million people
in 2020
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
9.40 million people
in 2020
Spain rank
35th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
37th
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Spain
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
Spain currently reports 10.19 million people against 9.40 million people in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 785,340 people.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.1 times United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Spain has been ahead every year.
Spain ranks 35th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 37th of 236 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.33 million people | 8.01 million people | 1.32 million people | Spain |
| 1960s | 9.56 million people | 8.24 million people | 1.32 million people | Spain |
| 1970s | 9.83 million people | 8.45 million people | 1.38 million people | Spain |
| 1980s | 10.08 million people | 8.65 million people | 1.43 million people | Spain |
| 1990s | 10.12 million people | 8.78 million people | 1.34 million people | Spain |
| 2000s | 10.25 million people | 8.93 million people | 1.32 million people | Spain |
| 2010s | 10.54 million people | 9.26 million people | 1.28 million people | Spain |
| 2020s | 10.19 million people | 9.40 million people | 785,340 people | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas, Spain or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Spain, at 10.19 million people against 9.40 million people in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between Spain and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 785,340 people, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Spain and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Spain ranks 35th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 37th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.