From 1981 to 2024, the population of the autonomous community of Catalonia grew almost every year, from approximately 5.9 million to eight million inhabitants, an increase of 34 percent. Although there was a slight decline in population in 2012, the region would reach a similar population size again in the second half of 2017.

As of January 2025, Catalonia's population stood at over eight million, making it the second most populated autonomous community in Spain. Catalonia had 682,998 inhabitants aged between 45 and 49 years old, the largest age group. Meanwhile, children aged zero to four years old totaled 290,941.

The Catalan and Spanish languages coexist in the coastal region of Catalonia, both enjoying official and equal status. As of 2024, more than ** percent of the population of Catalonia considered Spanish their mother tongue, whereas less than ** percent reported being native speakers of Catalan. Catalonia was the second most populous autonomous community in Spain in 2024 with about * million people. Editorial scene in Catalonia Despite the fact that the vast majority of books in Spain are published in Spanish, the Catalan language ranked second in the country’s editorial scene at about * percent of book publications, revealing the weight of this language among other languages spoken in Spain. In fact, Catalan was one of the most translated languages in this country according to the latest studies. Catalonia in Spain The Catalan participation in the Spanish GDP was estimated at ** percent in 2023. This figure maintained steadily over the last few years, with an average share of about ** percent of the total GDP of the country. The average GDP per capita in Catalonia was significantly higher than that of the rest of Spain at ****** euros in 2022. During the same period, Spain’s average GDP per capita was ****** euros.

In 2024, around 17 percent of Catalonia's population was of foreign origin. In that year, approximately 334,820 residents came from South America and almost the same number came from Africa.

Most residents of Catalonia considered themselves equally Catalan and Spanish. This is the result of a survey conducted in March and May 2024 which revealed that approximately 34 percent of the population in this northern region identified Catalan and Spanish to the same degree. The share of the population that identified as more Catalan than Spanish or only Catalan, however, was also significant, with shares of 21.6 percent and 18.7 percent, respectively. Catalonia in SpainThe Catalan participation in the Spanish GDP was estimated at 20 percent in 2023. This figure maintained steadily over the last few years, with an average share of about 20 percent of the total GDP of the country. The average GDP per capita in Catalonia was significantly higher than that of the rest of Spain at 34,534 euros in 2022. During the same period, Spain’s average GDP per capita was 28.276 euros. As of 2024, Catalonia was the second most populous autonomous community in Spain with about eight million people. The Catalan language: a symbol of the region’s identityThe Catalan and Spanish languages coexist in the coastal region of Catalonia, both enjoying official and equal status. As of 2024, about 47 percent of the population of Catalonia considered Spanish their mother tongue, whereas about 40 percent reported being native speakers of Catalan. Despite the fact that the vast majority of books in Spain are published in Spanish, the Catalan language ranked second in the country’s editorial scene at about nine percent of book publications, revealing the weight of this language among other languages spoken in Spain. In fact, Catalan was one of the most translated languages in this country according to the latest studies.

Catalonia's population has been growing since 1981, when it had about six million inhabitants. By the first half of 2024, over eight million people lived in Catalonia. Of these, more than four million were women and around 3.9 million men.

As of January 2025, Andalusia was the most populated autonomous community in Spain, with a total amount of approximately 8.6 million inhabitants. Catalonia and Madrid followed closely, with populations amounting to approximately eight million and seven million respectively. The population in Spain has also been analyzed by gender and autonomous community.

As of January 2024, roughly 24.8 million women lived in Spain, thus outnumbering men by about 980,000. A report on expected population of EU member states forecasts the number of Spanish inhabitants growing to 49.9 million by 2050, which would make the Mediterranean nation the fourth most populated country in the EU, after Germany, France and Italy. Data relating to the population of Spain by gender and autonomous community shows the most populous region was Andalusia, with 4.4 million females and 4.2 million males, followed by the communities of Catalonia and Madrid. Moroccans made up the largest share of foreign nationals living in Spain, closely followed by Romanian nationals.

In 2024, the average number of employees in tourism industries in Catalonia, Spain amounted to a little over 300,000, which represents a significant increase of around 3.5 percent versus the previous year.

Spain has a long history of Islamic tradition under its belt. From cuisine to architecture, the southern European country has been linked to the North of Africa through many common elements. At the end of 2023, there were approximately 2.41 million Muslims in Spain, most of them of Spanish and Moroccan nationality, with upwards of eight hundred thousand believers in both cases. With a Muslim population of more than 660,000 people, Catalonia was home to the largest Muslim community in Spain as of the same date.

The not so Catholic Spain

Believers of a religion other than Catholicism accounted for approximately 3 percent of the Spanish population, according to the most recent data. Although traditionally a Catholic country, Spain saw a decline in the number of believers over the past years. Compared to previous years, when the share of believers accounted for slightly over 70 percent of the Spanish population, the Catholic community lost ground, while still being the major religion for the foreseable future.

A Catholic majority, a practicing minority

Going to mass is no longer a thing in Spain, or so it would seem when looking at the latest statistics about the matter: 50 percent of those who consider themselves Catholics almost never attend any religious service in 2024. The numbers increased until 2019, from 55.5 percent of the population never attending religious services in 2011 to 63.1 percent in 2019. The share of population that stated to be practicing believers and go to mass every Sunday and on the most important holidays accounted for only 15.5 percent.