Urban population in Spain
Spain: Urban population was 80.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Spain, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Spain is 80.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Spain peaked at 80.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 56.5%, in 1960.
That places Spain 55th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Spain, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 56.5% | — |
| 1961 | 57.1% | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 58.0% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 58.9% | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 60.0% | +1.8% |
| 1965 | 61.1% | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 62.3% | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 63.4% | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 64.4% | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 65.4% | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 66.2% | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 66.8% | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 67.4% | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 68.0% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 68.5% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 69.1% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 69.6% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 70.1% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 70.6% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 71.1% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 71.5% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 72.0% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 72.4% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 72.8% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 73.1% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 73.5% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 73.8% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 74.1% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 74.4% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 74.6% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 74.8% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 75.0% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 75.2% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 75.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 75.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 75.6% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 75.7% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 75.8% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 75.9% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 76.0% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 76.2% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 76.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 76.5% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 76.7% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 77.0% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 77.2% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 77.5% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 77.8% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 78.0% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 78.3% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 78.5% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 78.7% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 78.8% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 79.0% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 79.1% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 79.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 79.4% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 79.5% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 79.6% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 79.6% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 79.7% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 79.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 80.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 80.1% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 80.3% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 80.5% | +0.2% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 80.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 81.3%, 99% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Spain's 80.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 69.6%, 1.2× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 60.7% | 56.5% | 65.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 68.7% | 66.2% | 71.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 73.2% | 71.5% | 74.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 75.5% | 74.8% | 76.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.1% | 76.2% | 78.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.1% | 78.5% | 79.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.1% | 79.7% | 80.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 52 Germany 82.1% compare
- 53 Bahamas 81.3% compare
- 54 South Korea 81.2% compare
- 56 American Samoa 80.5% compare
- 57 United States 80.2% compare
- 58 Mexico 80.0% compare
More climate change data for Spain
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 944.68 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 31,851 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 7,475 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 24,376 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 28.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 870.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 8,160 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 6,530 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,630 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 24.64 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Spain?
- Urban population in Spain was 80.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 80.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.5% in 1960.
- How does Spain rank for urban population?
- Spain ranks 55th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.