Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Spain
Spain: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 51.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Spain, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Spain stood at 51.2%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Spain peaked at 51.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 30.2%, in 1950.
That places Spain 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 30.2% | — |
| 1955 | 33.1% | +9.5% |
| 1960 | 35.3% | +6.6% |
| 1965 | 38.3% | +8.6% |
| 1970 | 41.7% | +8.7% |
| 1975 | 42.7% | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 44.1% | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 45.1% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 45.5% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 46.0% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 46.1% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 46.9% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 47.3% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 49.1% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 51.2% | +4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 31.7% | 30.2% | 33.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 36.8% | 35.3% | 38.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 42.2% | 41.7% | 42.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 44.6% | 44.1% | 45.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 45.7% | 45.5% | 46.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 46.5% | 46.1% | 46.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 48.2% | 47.3% | 49.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 51.2% | 51.2% | 51.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More population data for Spain
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6358 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.98 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.24 million people (2100)
- Population density 66.29 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2658 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1636 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Spain?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Spain was 51.2% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 51.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.2% in 1950.
- How does Spain rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Spain ranks 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.