In 2024, Madrid was the city with the most inhabitants in Spain. In that year, more than 3.42 million people lived in the city. Barcelona was the second-largest city with 1.69 million residents.

Madrid was the largest city in Spain in 2024, with around *** million inhabitants. Barcelona followed second, with nearly *** million people residing there. The most populated city in the Spanish islands that year was Palma de Mallorca.

Actual value and historical data chart for Spain Population In Largest City

Spain ES: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 17.171 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 17.008 % for 2016. Spain ES: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 15.595 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.171 % in 2017 and a record low of 14.326 % in 1960. Spain ES: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Spain – Table ES.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted average;

Andalusia, with a total number of 8.6 million inhabitants, ranked first on the list of most populous autonomous communities in Spain as of January 1st, 2025. The least populated regions of Spain were the two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, both with a population of under 90,000 inhabitants that year. The population of Spain has been increasing for many years after experiencing a downward trend between 2012 and 2015, and is projected to grow by nearly half a million by 2027. The population of Spain is dying more than being born Spain has one of the lowest fertility rate in the European Union, with barely 1.29 children per woman. According to the most recent data, more people died in Spain than were being born in 2023, with figures reaching over 434,000 deaths versus 320,000 newborns. Immigration countered this trend One of the key points to balance out this population downtrend in Spain is immigration. Spain’s immigration figures finally started to pick up in 2015 after a downward trend that presumably initiated after the 2008 financial crisis. Nevertheless, Spaniards still migrate is much larger numbers than before the crisis. According to the latest data, nationals aged between 25 and 34 years represented the largest bulk of emigrants.

Censo de Población: Population by year of arrival in Spain, year of arrival in the Autonomous Community, sex and country of birth (main countries). Annual. Autonomous Communities and Cities.

In 2024, Barcelona received the largest number of international tourists staying at hotel establishments in Spain, with nearly *************. The Spanish capital followed, with a little almost *** million foreign hotel guests.

In 2025, approximately 23 million people lived in the São Paulo metropolitan area, making it the biggest in Latin America and the Caribbean and the sixth most populated in the world. The homonymous state of São Paulo was also the most populous federal entity in the country. The second place for the region was Mexico City with 22.75 million inhabitants. Brazil's cities Brazil is home to two large metropolises, only counting the population within the city limits, São Paulo had approximately 11.45 million inhabitants, and Rio de Janeiro around 6.21 million inhabitants. It also contains a number of smaller, but well known cities such as Brasília, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and many others, which report between 2 and 3 million inhabitants each. As a result, the country's population is primarily urban, with nearly 88 percent of inhabitants living in cities. Mexico City Mexico City's metropolitan area ranks sevenths in the ranking of most populated cities in the world. Founded over the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan in 1521 after the Spanish conquest as the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the city still stands as one of the most important in Latin America. Nevertheless, the preeminent economic, political, and cultural position of Mexico City has not prevented the metropolis from suffering the problems affecting the rest of the country, namely, inequality and violence. Only in 2023, the city registered a crime incidence of 52,723 reported cases for every 100,000 inhabitants and around 24 percent of the population lived under the poverty line.

Graph and download economic data for Geographical Outreach: Number of Branches in 3 Largest Cities, Excluding Headquarters, for Credit Unions and Financial Cooperatives for Spain (ESPFCBODULNUM) from 2004 to 2015 about branches, credit unions, Spain, financial, and depository institutions.

Table of INEBase Population by year of arrival in Spain, year of arrival in the municipality, sex, age (major groups) and nationality (Spanish/foreign) (Provincial capitals and main cities). Annual. Municipalities. Censo de Población

Avg Housing Price: Free Market: Barcelona data was reported at 3,300.100 EUR/sq m in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 3,297.300 EUR/sq m for Jun 2018. Avg Housing Price: Free Market: Barcelona data is updated quarterly, averaging 3,071.100 EUR/sq m from Mar 2005 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,950.200 EUR/sq m in Jun 2008 and a record low of 2,385.200 EUR/sq m in Mar 2014. Avg Housing Price: Free Market: Barcelona data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Public Works. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Spain – Table ES.P003: Housing Prices: Free Market: by Region and Major City.

Censo de Población: Population by previous residence, sex, age (big groups) and country of birth (Spain/foreign) (Provincial capitals and main cities). Annual. Municipalities.

It is estimated that the cities of Cordova (modern-day Córdoba) and Palermo were the largest cities in Europe in 1050, and had between fifteen and twenty times the population of most other entries in this graph, Despite this the cities of Cordova (the capital city of the Umayyad caliphate, who controlled much of the Iberian peninsula from the seventh to eleventh centuries), and Palermo (another Arab-controlled capital in Southern Europe) were still the only cities in Western Europe with a population over one hundred thousand people, closely followed by Seville. It is also noteworthy to point out that the five largest cities on this list were importing trading cities, in modern day Spain or Italy, although the largest cities become more northern and western European in later lists (1200, 1330, 1500, 1650 and 1800). In 1050, todays largest Western European cities, London and Paris, had just twenty-five and twenty thousand inhabitants respectively.

The period of European history (and much of world history) between 500 and 1500 is today known as the 'Dark Ages'. Although the term 'Dark Ages' was originally applied to the lack of literature and arts, it has since been applied to the lack or scarcity of recorded information from this time. Because of these limitations, much information about this time is still being debated today.

Table of INEBase Population aged 16 and over by year of arrival in Spain, year of arrival in the municipality, sex, country of birth (Spain/foreign) and relationship with the activity (provincial capitals and main cities). Annual. Municipalities. Censo de Población

Table of INEBase Population by year of arrival in Spain, year of arrival in the Autonomous Community, sex, age (big groups) and country of birth (Spain/foreign). Annual. Autonomous Communities and Cities. Censo de Población

The dataset is composed by 3 variables: date, average_temperature and city. The date is fixed on the 1th of every month but it actually represents the entire month. The years 2008 and 2019 aren't complete so we might not get to certain conclusions if we analyse these two years.

It is estimated that the largest cities in Western Europe in 1330 were Paris and Granada. At this time, Paris was the seat of power in northern France, while Granada had become the largest multicultural city in southern Spain, controlled by the Muslim, Nasrid Kingdom during Spain's Reconquista period. The next three largest cities were Venice, Genoa and Milan, all in northern Italy, renowned as important trading cities during the middle ages. In October 1347, the first wave of the Black Death had arrived in Sicily and then began spreading throughout Europe, decimating the population.

Table of INEBase Population by previous residence, sex, age (big groups) and country of birth (Spain/foreign) (Provincial capitals and main cities). Annual. Municipalities. Censo de Población

Censo de Población: Population by gender, age (year to year) and nationality (Spanish/foreign) (province capitals and main cities). Annual. Municipalities.

The database is one of the results of the project "Metropolitan Governance in Spain: Institutionalization and Models" (METROGOV, 2020-23), funded by the National R&D Plan 2019 of the Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2019-106931GA-I00). Directed by Professor Tomàs, the project wants to understand the building and definition of models of metropolitan governance in Spain. There is no comprehensive work based on a common methodology that address this topic, this is why the METROGOV project seeks to cover this gap in the literature and the research.

The first specific goal of the project was to create a database of metropolitan institutions in Spain, including hard forms like metropolitan governments, metropolitan sectorial agencies and consortiums as well as soft forms as metropolitan strategic plans. The database provides an updated and rigorous portrait of the institutional thickness of urban agglomerations, gathering up to 384 metropolitan cooperation instruments in the Spanish functional areas. In other words, it is a picture of the institutional reality of Spanish urban agglomerations. This database provides precious information about the model of metropolitan governance, the municipalities involved and the sectors with most and less institutionalization.

As in Spain there is not an official or statistical definition of metropolitan areas, the project departed from the concept of Functional Urban Areas (FUA), considered as “densely inhabited city and a less densely populated commuting zone whose labour market is highly integrated with the city” (Eurostat). According to this definition, the commuting zone contains the surrounding travel-to-work areas of a city where at least 15 % of employed residents are working in a city. In the case of Spain, we find 45 big FUA, where the central city has more than 100.000 inhabitants. The database was structured considering these 45 Spanish FUAs, and it was necessary that at least 3 municipalities participated in the metropolitan cooperation tools.

In the grid, you will find the 384 instruments of metropolitan cooperation following different criteria. First of all, the models of metropolitan governance, from hard to soft: metropolitan government, metropolitan sectoral agency, “mancomunidad”, consortium, public or public-private company, territorial plan, sectoral plan, comarca, association of municipalities, strategic plan, European project, working group. Each instrument is also classified according to the subject of cooperation: transport, waste, water, housing, urbanism, etc. Other complementary information is added, such as: the year of creation; number and names of municipalities that are part of the entity; percentage of territory covered by this tool, etc.

A book has been recently published with the results of the project: Tomàs, M. (2023) (ed.). Metrópolis sin gobierno. La anomalía española en Europa. València: Tirant lo Blanch.