Share of population living in the capital city in Spain
Spain: Share of population living in the capital city was 11.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in Spain, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in the capital city in Spain is 11.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Spain peaked at 11.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1950.
That places Spain 119th out of 170 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in the capital city in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.7% | — |
| 1955 | 6.2% | +8.4% |
| 1960 | 6.6% | +7.4% |
| 1965 | 7.3% | +9.7% |
| 1970 | 8.0% | +10.0% |
| 1975 | 8.2% | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 8.7% | +5.0% |
| 1985 | 8.7% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 8.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 9.0% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 9.6% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 9.7% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 9.8% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | +9.4% |
| 2020 | 11.5% | +7.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.0% | 5.7% | 6.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 7.0% | 6.6% | 7.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 8.1% | 8.0% | 8.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 8.7% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 8.7% | 9.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.6% | 9.6% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 10.3% | 9.8% | 10.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 11.5% | 11.5% | 11.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More population data for Spain
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6358 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 44,220 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1636 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2658 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 66.29 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.24 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in Spain?
- Share of population living in the capital city in Spain was 11.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 11.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1950.
- How does Spain rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- Spain ranks 119th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.6%. 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 minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.