Belgium vs Spain: Share of population living in urban areas
Belgium
78.4%
in 2020
Spain
78.6%
in 2020
Belgium rank
90th
Spain rank
88th
Share of population living in urban areas over time
- Belgium
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 78.6% against 78.4% in Belgium, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Belgium ahead.
Belgium ranks 90th and Spain ranks 88th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 7 and Spain in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 71.8% | 67.3% | 4.5% | Belgium |
| 1960s | 73.0% | 69.4% | 3.6% | Belgium |
| 1970s | 73.9% | 71.7% | 2.1% | Belgium |
| 1980s | 74.5% | 73.5% | 1.0% | Belgium |
| 1990s | 75.4% | 74.4% | 0.9% | Belgium |
| 2000s | 76.2% | 75.9% | 0.4% | Belgium |
| 2010s | 77.5% | 77.5% | 0.1% | Belgium |
| 2020s | 78.4% | 78.6% | 0.2% | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Belgium or Spain?
- Spain, at 78.6% against 78.4% in Belgium as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Belgium and Spain?
- 0.2%, with Spain 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 urban areas?
- Belgium ranks 90th and Spain ranks 88th 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 urban 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 urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.