Belgium vs Spain: Share of population living in the capital city
Belgium
12.0%
in 2020
Spain
11.5%
in 2020
Belgium rank
116th
Spain rank
119th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- Belgium
- Spain
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 12.0% against 11.5% in Spain, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Belgium has been ahead every year.
Belgium ranks 116th and Spain ranks 119th of 170 countries.
Belgium has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.3% | 6.0% | 3.4% | Belgium |
| 1960s | 9.2% | 7.0% | 2.2% | Belgium |
| 1970s | 9.4% | 8.1% | 1.2% | Belgium |
| 1980s | 9.8% | 8.7% | 1.1% | Belgium |
| 1990s | 10.3% | 8.9% | 1.4% | Belgium |
| 2000s | 11.1% | 9.6% | 1.5% | Belgium |
| 2010s | 11.7% | 10.3% | 1.4% | Belgium |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 11.5% | 0.5% | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, Belgium or Spain?
- Belgium, at 12.0% against 11.5% in Spain as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between Belgium and Spain?
- 0.5%, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Spain?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Belgium and Spain rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- Belgium ranks 116th and Spain ranks 119th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.