Population density in Spain
Spain: Population density was 96.76 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
96.76 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
107th
of 215 countries
All-time high
96.76 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
61.51 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Spain, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Spain is 96.76 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Spain peaked at 96.76 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 61.51 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
That places Spain 107th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in Spain, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 61.51 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 62.07 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 62.62 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 63.25 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 63.94 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 64.59 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 65.39 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 66.26 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 66.91 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 67.66 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 68.48 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 69.24 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 70.01 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 70.78 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 71.57 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 72.34 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 73.09 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 73.8 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 74.45 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 75.06 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 75.6 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 76.05 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 76.43 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 76.75 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 77.03 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 77.26 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 77.46 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 77.62 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 77.74 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 77.82 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 78.02 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 78.4 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 78.81 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 79.19 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 79.54 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 79.87 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 80.2 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 80.54 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 80.86 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 81.3 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 81.94 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 83.02 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 84.51 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 85.98 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 87.47 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 88.98 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 90.61 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 92.13 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 92.98 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 93.15 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 93.51 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 93.51 people per sq. km of land area | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 93.17 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 92.88 people per sq. km of land area | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 92.91 people per sq. km of land area | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 93 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 93.23 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 93.64 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 94.32 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 94.8 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 94.94 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 95.63 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 96.76 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 64.06 people per sq. km of land area | 61.51 people per sq. km of land area | 66.91 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 71.14 people per sq. km of land area | 67.66 people per sq. km of land area | 74.45 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.7 people per sq. km of land area | 75.06 people per sq. km of land area | 77.74 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.33 people per sq. km of land area | 77.82 people per sq. km of land area | 80.86 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.89 people per sq. km of land area | 81.3 people per sq. km of land area | 92.98 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 93.33 people per sq. km of land area | 92.88 people per sq. km of land area | 94.32 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.53 people per sq. km of land area | 94.8 people per sq. km of land area | 96.76 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 104 Cambodia 98.71 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 105 Northern Mariana Islands 98.14 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 106 Côte d'Ivoire 98.01 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 108 Kenya 95.27 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 109 Honduras 95.14 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 110 Senegal 93.89 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Spain
- Population in the largest city 17.1% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 10.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2542 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 12.54 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.3889 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 24.89 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 6.81 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 18.8 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 601.13 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Spain?
- Population density in Spain was 96.76 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 96.76 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.51 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Spain rank for population density?
- Spain ranks 107th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.