Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Spain
Spain: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 78.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban 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
Spain recorded 78.6% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Spain peaked at 78.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 67.0%, in 1950.
That places Spain 88th out of 236 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 urban and rural areas in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 67.0% | — |
| 1955 | 67.7% | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 68.8% | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 70.0% | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 71.1% | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 72.3% | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 73.3% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 73.7% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 74.1% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 74.8% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 75.6% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 76.1% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 77.1% | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 77.8% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 78.6% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 67.3% | 67.0% | 67.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 69.4% | 68.8% | 70.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 71.7% | 71.1% | 72.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 73.5% | 73.3% | 73.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 74.4% | 74.1% | 74.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 75.9% | 75.6% | 76.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 77.5% | 77.1% | 77.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 78.6% | 78.6% | 78.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 85 Russian Federation 78.8% compare
- 86 Seychelles 78.7% compare
- 87 American Samoa 78.7% compare
- 89 South Africa 78.6% compare
- 90 Belgium 78.4% compare
- 91 Morocco 78.1% compare
More reference data data for Spain
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.898 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.67 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.06 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 52.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.89 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Spain?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Spain was 78.6% 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 urban and rural areas recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 78.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.0% in 1950.
- How does Spain rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Spain ranks 88th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. 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 urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.