Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Spain
Spain: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 22.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents 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 cities with more than 1 million residents in Spain is 22.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Spain peaked at 22.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.5%, in 1950.
Spain ranks 57th of 180 countries on this measure, 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 cities with more than 1 million residents in Spain, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.5% | — |
| 1955 | 11.3% | +8.4% |
| 1960 | 12.2% | +7.4% |
| 1965 | 13.2% | +8.2% |
| 1970 | 14.3% | +8.5% |
| 1975 | 14.5% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 17.5% | +21.0% |
| 1985 | 17.6% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 17.8% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 18.7% | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 19.4% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 19.5% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 19.6% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | +8.0% |
| 2020 | 22.5% | +6.3% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 22.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 15.3%, 1.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Spain's 22.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 11.6%, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10.9% | 10.5% | 11.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 12.7% | 12.2% | 13.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 14.4% | 14.3% | 14.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 17.6% | 17.5% | 17.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 18.3% | 17.8% | 18.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 19.4% | 19.4% | 19.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.4% | 19.6% | 21.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.5% | 22.5% | 22.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Spain
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 cities with more than 1 million residents in Spain?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Spain was 22.5% 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 cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 22.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5% in 1950.
- How does Spain rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Spain ranks 57th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. 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 cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.