Canada vs Spain: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas
Canada
52.1%
in 2020
Spain
51.2%
in 2020
Canada rank
51st
Spain rank
54th
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Canada
- Spain
How they compare
Canada currently reports 52.1% against 51.2% in Spain, a difference of 0.9%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Spain ahead.
Canada ranks 51st and Spain ranks 54th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 2 and Spain in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19.2% | 31.7% | 12.5% | Spain |
| 1960s | 23.2% | 36.8% | 13.6% | Spain |
| 1970s | 27.1% | 42.2% | 15.1% | Spain |
| 1980s | 31.3% | 44.6% | 13.3% | Spain |
| 1990s | 38.9% | 45.7% | 6.9% | Spain |
| 2000s | 45.1% | 46.5% | 1.4% | Spain |
| 2010s | 50.4% | 48.2% | 2.3% | Canada |
| 2020s | 52.1% | 51.2% | 1.0% | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas, Canada or Spain?
- Canada, at 52.1% against 51.2% in Spain as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas between Canada and Spain?
- 0.9%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Spain?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Canada and Spain rank globally for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Canada ranks 51st and Spain ranks 54th 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 Share of population 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 share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.