Spain Population

Population now

47,161,405
  • World: 31st
  • Europe: 6th
Male:23,189,636(49.17 %)
Female:23,972,486(50.83 %)
Births in 2024:255,048
Deaths in 2024:332,406

Life expectancy & Rates (2024)

Male:81.23 years
Female:86.61 years
Total:83.86 years
Median Age:45.81 years
Birth Rate:7.55
Death Rate:9.84
Growth Rate:-0.23 %
Fertility Rate:1.38

Population Data Graphs

  • Total population
  • Birth & Death rate
  • Life expectancy
  • Median Age
  • Population structure (mid 2024)
  • Urbanization

Spain Population Review

Spain is a European country on the Iberian Peninsula with a population of 47 million people. During the twentieth century, the country’s population doubled. However, the growth pattern was every uneven due to large-scale internal migration resulting from people in the rural interior moving to the fast industrializing cities. This is a phenomenon that happened a bit later in Spain than other Western European countries.

Facing a massive decline in population

In the coming years, Spain is facing a huge decline in its population. The country’s population peaked in 2019 and is predicted to continue dropping in the coming years, with an expected population of 43.4 million by 2050. That’s a loss of more than 2.5 million people in just four short decades.

The country’s growth rate is currently in the negatives, at -0.12%. The country’s over 65 population will also continue to grow, and with no younger population to replace it, the over 65 population is predicted to hit 37% by 2050. This is an increase of 117% by that age group by 2050, a situation that will further tax the country’s social system.

One of the highest life expectancy in the world

At an average of 83 years, Spain’s life expectancy is one of the highest in the world. It surpasses almost all other countries in the world, even beating Sweden and Iceland. The reason for the country’s impressive life expectancy is not totally clear, however, the country does exceptionally well in terms of diet, with most of the country regularly eating what has now become known as “the Mediterranean diet”, which consists of the high consumption of olive oil, fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish.

Religion in the Kingdom of Spain

The country of Spain has no official religion and Roman Catholicism was removed as the official state religion in the constitution of 1978. Over 68% of the population still identify as Catholic, though 46% of people surveyed stated that they never attend religious services. Like many Western European countries, religious practice in Spain has been on the decline in recent years.

Tourism in Spain

In 2017, Spain recorded 82 million tourists, making it the second most visited country in the world. This continued Spain’s record-breaking numbers of tourism. International tourism expenditure reached over 58 billion euros in that time, over 5% of the country’s GDP. This robust tourist economy also contributes to the country’s employment rates, with 949,000 people regularly employed by the tourism sector.

A fast dropping rural population

Like many countries, Spain is experiencing a dramatic drop in their rural populations. Since 1960, Spain’s rural population has fallen from 13 million people to around 9 million in 2020. In contrast, the country’s urban population has skyrocketed. While there were around 17 million people living in urban areas in Spain in 1960, the country has now seen over 38 million people move to cities like Barcelona and Madrid to seek out better and more lucrative employment and access to more culture and experiences.

With almost 90% of the country’s population packed into 1,500 towns and cities, this leaves the rest of the country with a population density of 14 inhabitants per square kilometer. To combat this trend, many small Spanish towns are actively seeking ways to encourage migrants to move there to offset the loss of services and the shut down of schools because of a lack of young people.

Immigration to Spain

Until 2014, the number of people immigrating to Spain was decreasing. Since then, immigration has increased in the country and, as of 2020; there were 7.2 million foreign-born people in Spain. This means that over 15% of the population were born in a non-European country. It has also been found that 11.43% of the population didn’t have Spanish citizenship. This makes Spain one of the world’s most preferred destinations to immigrate to.

Review Updated: August 13, 2020

Spain Population History

Show by
  • 10 years
  • 5 years
  • 1 year
  • main data
  • all data
YearTotalMaleFemaleSex RatioGrowth rateBirth rateDeath rateFerti­lity rate
Life exp., total
Life expectancy
Life exp., maleLife exp., femaleMedian AgeUrbani­zation
Density, people / km2
Density, people/km2
196030M15M16M0.941.52%21.708.602.8669.1166.6871.6628.1656.57%60.33
196131M15M16M0.951.55%21.208.302.7769.4867.1071.9828.3157.30%60.90
196231M15M16M0.951.43%21.108.702.8069.5267.0872.0828.5058.31%61.46
196331M15M16M0.951.43%21.408.802.8869.6867.1372.3628.7259.31%62.00
196432M15M16M0.951.62%22.008.403.0170.4067.7973.1428.9060.30%62.62
196532M16M16M0.951.51%21.108.402.9470.8168.1873.5729.0161.28%63.30
196632M16M17M0.951.46%20.708.402.9171.0668.4673.7829.0762.25%63.95
196733M16M17M0.951.46%20.708.402.9471.2568.5774.0729.0663.21%64.75
196833M16M17M0.951.39%20.108.402.8771.5468.8574.3629.0064.17%65.60
196933M16M17M0.951.24%19.908.902.8671.0668.3673.8928.9065.11%66.25
197034M17M17M0.951.35%19.508.302.8472.0369.3274.8728.8266.04%66.99
197134M17M18M0.951.23%19.608.802.9071.6368.8474.5628.8066.85%67.80
197235M17M18M0.961.40%19.408.102.8772.8270.1475.6328.7867.54%68.55
197335M17M18M0.961.26%19.208.502.8472.6169.8475.5228.7868.22%69.31
197435M17M18M0.961.35%19.508.302.8872.9770.1675.9228.8168.90%70.08
197536M18M18M0.961.25%18.708.302.7773.3270.4776.3128.8669.57%70.84
197636M18M18M0.961.25%18.708.302.7773.6470.7576.6828.9170.23%71.59
197737M18M19M0.961.22%18.008.102.6574.1371.2177.2029.0070.88%72.33
197837M18M19M0.961.14%17.308.102.5474.3071.3277.4229.1371.53%73.03
197937M18M19M0.961.08%16.207.802.3774.8271.7778.0229.2772.16%73.68
198037M18M19M0.960.97%15.207.702.2275.3572.3278.5329.4372.79%74.27
198138M19M19M0.960.81%14.107.802.0475.5372.4778.7429.5973.28%74.80
198238M19M19M0.960.81%13.607.501.9476.1373.1079.3229.7973.52%75.25
198338M19M19M0.960.61%12.707.901.8075.9172.8779.1030.0473.75%75.62
198438M19M20M0.960.58%12.307.801.7376.3073.1179.6430.3173.98%75.93
198538M19M20M0.960.47%11.908.101.6476.2673.0479.6430.6274.21%76.21
198639M19M20M0.960.43%11.408.001.5676.5173.3379.8530.9974.44%76.44
198739M19M20M0.960.38%11.008.001.4976.7373.4580.1731.3374.67%76.64
198839M19M20M0.960.32%10.808.201.4576.7573.4380.2331.6774.90%76.80
198939M19M20M0.960.25%10.508.401.4076.8173.3680.4432.0275.13%76.92
199039M19M20M0.960.20%10.308.601.3676.8473.3480.5132.4175.35%77.00
199139M19M20M0.960.17%10.208.701.3376.9773.4280.7032.7675.53%77.19
199239M19M20M0.960.19%10.108.501.3177.4173.8181.1933.1575.61%77.57
199339M19M20M0.960.14%9.808.601.2677.5574.0181.2633.5775.69%77.98
199440M19M20M0.960.09%9.408.601.1977.9074.3681.6233.9975.77%78.35
199540M19M20M0.960.05%9.108.701.1677.9874.4181.7334.4775.86%78.70
199640M20M20M0.960.03%9.108.801.1478.1274.5481.8834.8875.94%79.02
199740M20M20M0.960.06%9.208.701.1578.6075.1782.2135.3176.02%79.36
199840M20M21M0.960.01%9.109.001.1378.6775.3082.2035.7576.10%79.68
199940M20M21M0.960.02%9.409.201.1778.7275.4082.2036.1976.18%80.01
200041M20M21M0.960.10%9.808.901.2278.9775.6082.5036.6176.26%80.37
200141M20M21M0.970.13%9.908.801.2379.3776.1082.8036.8876.34%80.93
200241M20M21M0.970.15%10.108.801.2579.5776.3083.0037.1576.53%82.08
200342M21M21M0.970.14%10.409.101.3079.6276.4083.0037.4376.78%83.58
200443M21M22M0.970.23%10.608.601.3179.8776.7083.2037.7377.02%85.03
200544M22M22M0.970.20%10.608.801.3380.1777.0083.5038.0577.26%86.48
200644M22M22M0.980.30%10.808.301.3680.8277.7084.1038.2177.50%87.95
200745M22M23M0.980.28%10.908.501.3880.8777.8084.1038.3777.74%89.60
200846M23M23M0.980.35%11.308.401.4581.1878.2084.3038.5477.98%91.04
200946M23M23M0.980.28%10.608.301.3881.4878.5084.6038.7378.21%91.85
201047M23M24M0.980.27%10.408.201.3781.6378.7084.7038.9778.44%92.27
201147M23M24M0.980.22%10.108.301.3482.4879.5085.6039.4478.67%92.60
201247M23M24M0.970.13%9.708.601.3282.4379.5085.5039.9578.90%92.66
201347M23M24M0.970.10%9.108.301.2783.0880.2086.1040.4779.13%92.36
201446M23M24M0.970.08%9.208.501.3283.2380.4086.2040.9979.37%92.08
201546M23M24M0.96-0.01%9.009.101.3382.8380.1085.7041.4979.60%92.01
201646M23M24M0.96?8.808.801.3483.3380.5086.3041.9879.84%92.09
201747M23M24M0.96-0.08%8.409.101.3183.2880.6086.1042.4580.08%92.30
201847M23M24M0.96-0.13%7.909.101.2683.4380.7086.3042.9080.32%92.71
201947M23M24M0.97-0.14%7.608.801.2383.8381.1086.7043.3680.57%93.38
202047M23M24M0.97-0.32%7.1010.401.2382.3379.7085.1043.8680.81%93.83
202147M23M24M0.97-0.32%7.1010.401.2382.3379.7085.1044.3481.06%93.76
202247M23M24M0.97-0.32%7.1010.401.2382.3379.7085.1044.8481.30%93.66
202347M23M24M0.97-0.25%7.449.981.3483.4880.8586.2345.3381.55%93.53
202447M23M24M0.97-0.23%7.559.841.3883.8681.2386.6145.8181.80%93.39

Spain Population Projections

Show by
  • 10 years
  • 5 years
  • 1 year
  • main data
  • all data
YearTotalMaleFemaleSex RatioGrowth rateBirth rateDeath rateFerti­lity rate
Life exp., total
Life expectancy
Life exp., maleLife exp., femaleMedian AgeUrbani­zation
Density, people / km2
Density, people/km2
202547M23M24M0.97-0.21%7.669.701.4284.2481.6186.9946.2882.05%93.24
202647M23M24M0.97-0.22%7.629.781.4384.3781.7487.1146.7282.30%93.09
202747M23M24M0.97-0.23%7.599.861.4484.4981.8787.2447.1882.56%92.94
202847M23M24M0.97-0.24%7.559.931.4484.6282.0087.3647.6582.81%92.77
202947M23M24M0.97-0.25%7.5210.011.4584.7482.1387.4948.1483.06%92.60
203047M23M24M0.97-0.26%7.4810.091.4684.8782.2687.6148.6383.31%92.41
203147M23M24M0.97-0.26%7.5110.211.4784.9982.3887.7349.0783.57%92.21
203246M23M24M0.97-0.27%7.5410.321.4885.1182.5087.8549.4283.82%92.00
203346M23M24M0.97-0.28%7.5610.441.4885.2382.6387.9749.7684.07%91.79
203446M23M24M0.97-0.28%7.5910.551.4985.3582.7588.0950.1084.32%91.57
203546M23M23M0.97-0.29%7.6210.671.5085.4782.8788.2150.4384.57%91.34
203646M23M23M0.97-0.29%7.6710.831.5185.5982.9988.3350.7184.82%91.11
203746M23M23M0.96-0.30%7.7210.981.5185.7183.1188.4550.9785.07%90.87
203846M22M23M0.96-0.30%7.7811.141.5285.8383.2388.5651.2185.31%90.62
203946M22M23M0.96-0.31%7.8311.291.5285.9583.3588.6851.4385.56%90.36
204045M22M23M0.96-0.31%7.8811.451.5386.0783.4788.8051.6485.80%90.08
204145M22M23M0.96-0.32%7.9011.641.5486.1983.5988.9251.7986.03%89.80
204245M22M23M0.96-0.33%7.9211.821.5486.3083.7189.0351.9086.27%89.50
204345M22M23M0.96-0.34%7.9512.011.5586.4283.8289.1552.0086.49%89.18
204445M22M23M0.96-0.35%7.9712.191.5586.5383.9489.2652.0886.72%88.85
204545M22M23M0.96-0.35%7.9912.381.5686.6584.0689.3852.1686.94%88.50
204644M22M23M0.96-0.37%7.9612.601.5686.7784.1889.4952.1887.16%88.13
204744M22M23M0.96-0.38%7.9312.821.5786.8884.2989.6152.1987.38%87.75
204844M22M23M0.96-0.39%7.8913.041.5787.0084.4189.7252.2087.60%87.34
204944M21M22M0.96-0.41%7.8613.261.5887.1184.5289.8452.2287.81%86.92
205044M21M22M0.96-0.42%7.8313.481.5887.2384.6489.9552.2588.01%86.47

Highest City Populations in Spain

Show
  • Top 20
  • Top 100
  • All
RankCityPopulation, Urban AreaPopulation, City
1Madrid6,701,2123,255,944
2Barcelona5,648,3381,621,537
3Valencia836,432814,208
4Zaragoza735,432674,317
5Sevilla701,284701,000
6Malaga591,716578,460
7Murcia507,579436,870
8Palma475,579401,270
9Las Palmas de Gran Canaria403,716381,847
10Alicante374,432334,757
11Bilbao348,284345,821
12Cordoba344,716325,708
13Vigo307,000297,332
14Valladolid302,568302,000

Map of Spain

All Countries in Europe