Population in largest city in Spain
Spain: Population in largest city was 6.81 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
6.81 million
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
32nd
of 153 countries
All-time high
6.81 million
in 2025
All-time low
2.47 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in largest city in Spain, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Spain recorded 6.81 million for population in largest city in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in largest city in Spain peaked at 6.81 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.47 million, in 1960.
That places Spain 32nd out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in largest city in Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.47 million | — |
| 1961 | 2.55 million | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 2.64 million | +3.5% |
| 1963 | 2.73 million | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 2.83 million | +3.5% |
| 1965 | 2.93 million | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 3.03 million | +3.5% |
| 1967 | 3.14 million | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 3.26 million | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 3.39 million | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 3.52 million | +4.0% |
| 1971 | 3.62 million | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 3.69 million | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 3.75 million | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 3.82 million | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 3.89 million | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 3.96 million | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 4.03 million | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 4.10 million | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.18 million | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 4.25 million | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 4.31 million | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 4.32 million | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 4.33 million | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 4.34 million | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 4.35 million | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 4.37 million | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 4.38 million | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 4.39 million | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 4.40 million | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 4.41 million | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 4.44 million | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 4.50 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 4.56 million | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 4.62 million | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 4.69 million | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 4.75 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 4.82 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 4.88 million | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 4.95 million | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 5.01 million | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 5.08 million | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 5.15 million | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 5.23 million | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 5.31 million | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 5.38 million | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 5.46 million | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 5.54 million | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 5.62 million | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 5.70 million | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 5.79 million | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 5.87 million | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 5.96 million | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 6.04 million | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 6.13 million | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 6.22 million | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 6.31 million | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 6.40 million | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 6.50 million | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 6.56 million | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 6.62 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 6.67 million | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 6.71 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 6.75 million | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 6.78 million | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 6.81 million | +0.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 6.81 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.80 million, 3.8× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Spain's 6.81 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.41 million, 4.8× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.90 million | 2.47 million | 3.39 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.86 million | 3.52 million | 4.18 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.34 million | 4.25 million | 4.40 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.66 million | 4.41 million | 4.95 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.35 million | 5.01 million | 5.70 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.18 million | 5.79 million | 6.56 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.72 million | 6.62 million | 6.81 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More urban development data for Spain
- Population in the largest city 17.1% (2025)
- Population density 96.76 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- 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)
- 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 in largest city in Spain?
- Population in largest city in Spain was 6.81 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in largest city recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 6.81 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in largest city recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.47 million in 1960.
- How does Spain rank for population in largest city?
- Spain ranks 32nd out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in largest city rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.