How Many People Live in Spain?

Spain has a population of approximately 48.1 million people. Like Italy, Spain has extremely low fertility (1.19 in 2023, among the lowest in the world) combined with an aging population. Unlike Italy, Spain's population is still growing slightly, thanks to immigration from Latin America, Morocco, and Romania. Spain added about 1.1 million people through immigration in 2023 alone.

Spain's fertility crash happened later than Northern Europe's but was more dramatic. In 1975 (when Franco died), the fertility rate was still 2.8. By 1995 it had collapsed to 1.17, the lowest ever recorded in a major European country at that time. It has barely recovered since. The reasons are familiar: sky-high youth unemployment (historically 30-40%), precarious housing, late entry into the workforce, and one of the highest average ages for first-time mothers in Europe (32.6 years).

Spain is the second-largest country in the EU by area but has significant "empty Spain" (España Vacía) in the interior. The provinces of Soria, Teruel, and Cuenca have population densities below 10/km², comparable to Lapland. Madrid and Barcelona together account for about 30% of the national population and over 40% of GDP.

📊 Key Demographics

🏙️ What Are Spains Largest Cities?

España Vacía (Empty Spain)

The "Empty Spain" movement gained national attention in the 2010s as interior provinces continued losing population to Madrid, Barcelona, and the coast. Teruel province (population density: 9/km²) made international news with the slogan "Teruel exists!" to demand infrastructure investment. Spain's depopulation map looks like a donut: everyone lives on the edges and the center is emptying out. In response, the government created a ministry for demographic challenge, but reversing rural decline is as difficult in Spain as anywhere else.

🏖️ Spain Gets More Tourists Per Year Than It Has Residents

Spain received about 85 million international tourists in 2023, nearly double its 48 million population. Its the second most visited country in the world after France. This creates a love-hate relationship with tourism: it provides 12% of GDP and 2.8 million jobs, but also drives up housing costs in Barcelona, Mallorca and the Canary Islands, fueling anti-tourism protests from local residents priced out of their own cities.