The answer won’t last forever. But how is that possible? The number of cities in Spain can increase or decrease depending on the population and many other reasons.

And that’s precisely what I will explain to you in this post. You’ll find an accurate and up-to-date list of Spain’s cities, their population, and which provinces have the most cities based on the National Institute of Statistics.

(We also have an excel table with some extra info that you can find later in the post, FYI)

Now you have more questions than before, right? Well… with all of that in mind, we need to begin by clarifying what a city actually is.

1. What is considered a City and a Large City according to Spanish Law?

The “Law of Large Cities,” also known as the “Law of Measures for the Modernization of Local Government,” entered into force on January 1, 2004.

It consists of modernizing the city council’s management to develop and promote the participation of citizens in managing local affairs and dividing municipalities into districts. 

Municipalities with a large population are those that have been recognized with a particular regime due to their population and other characteristics, such as:

• Territories whose population exceeds 250,000 inhabitants.
• Provincial capitals whose population exceeds 175,000 inhabitants.
• Provincial capitals, regional capitals, or headquarters of regional institutions.
• Municipalities whose population exceeds 75,000 inhabitants with extraordinary economic, social, historical, or cultural circumstances. 

This allows decentralizing functions into citizen participation while incentivizing growth in other areas of the country. Considering that Spain organizes into three levels of territorial power: State, Autonomous Communities, and Local Entities. 

In simple words: the “Law of Large Cities” was necessary to create proximity policies and participation in municipalities with a high population density, viewing that the local government is the closest to the citizens, exercising powers that directly affect their quality of life. 

Let me put some examples so you can grasp what a large and small city looks like in Spain. 

• Valladolid is a large city in northwest Spain with 297,775 inhabitants. It is inside the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, and its the perfect example since it is also a provincial capital and home to the headquarters of regional institutions. 

• Another great example of a large city is Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, with 208,563 inhabitants. -But that place doesn’t have 250,000 people… Yes, but remember that provincial capitals with between 175,000 and 249,999 inhabitants are also considered large cities.

• Then we have Torrevieja, a coastal city in the province of Alicante in the Valencian Community. It has 82,842 inhabitants, but its Autonomous Community decided that the law applies to them due to their particular economic, social, historical, or cultural circumstances. 

• Lastly, we have Pontevedra. It is considered a city since it has 10,048 inhabitants, but it’s a small one, and high key one of the best spots to visit in Northern Spain.

Now let’s continue with the complete list of Cities in Spain.

2. A list of all Cities in Spain & their Population

Spain has 760 official cities, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in the 2021 registry review. The following table shows the Spanish Cities categorized by provinces and their population.

3. Provinces with the highest number of Cities in Spain

The provinces with the highest number of cities are, in the first place, Barcelona, with 83 cities inside the region; followed by Valencia, with 53 cities; then Madrid, which has 51 cities as of 2021. (Data from the National Institute of Statistics, INE)

Whereas the ones with the least number of cities are Ávila, Ceuta, Melilla, Palencia, Segovia and Soria, which are uniprovincial regions.

Remember: Spain divides into 50 provinces and 17 Autonomous Communities. Meaning that, inside every province, there are many cities and lots of municipalities. 

And, of course, some provinces have more cities inside them, so this is precisely what you’ll see on this graph!

Keep in mind that the list is not organized in terms of population, but in number of cities. Don’t get confused! Madrid, for example, has 3.132.463 inhabitants, while having fewer cities than Barcelona.

4. Evolution of Spain’s Population and Cities (1998-2022)

According to Spanish Law, The number of cities is established according to their population and number of inhabitants. In Spain, every territory with more than 10,000 residents is considered a city.

It is impressive how matters such as immigration, the development of cities, urban planning, and employment opportunities for rural workers have led the economy of small towns to become leading ones in their sectors, allowing the number of cities in Spain to grow due to their number of inhabitants.

If you want to know more about diversity in Spain, head here!

Is Spain Diverse? A Beautiful Mix of Culture and Traditions

In the following graph and table, we can see how the territorial structure of Spain has changed over the years. Since 1998, there have been 134 new cities! As we can see, there is a correlation between the number of inhabitants and the number of cities. As the population increases, the number of cities also increases.

Now you’re a true expert on Spain’s cities, one step closer to considering yourself a Spaniard! There’s much more worth knowing about our Culture and Traditions, our lifestyle, and incredible locations and destinations in Spain and its 50 provinces.