This is a list of the largest metropolitan areas in Spain by population.
Estimates are from the following sources:
- the "Functional Urban Areas" (FUAs) of the Study on Urban Functions of the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON, 2007)
- the "Larger Urban Zone" (LUZs) of Urban Audit project (2004), supported by the European Union. Not all cities were included in this survey.
- calculations by Francisco Ruiz from data of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (2008 estimates). As well as "metropolitan area" data, Ruiz has produced larger "conurbation" data for some areas. The "conurbation" figure is used where available, and is cited as such; otherwise, the "metropolitan area" figure is used.
The figures differ between the reports due to the difference in survey dates and differences in methodology. For example, ESPON considers Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés as a single FUA, while Urban Audit has separate LUZs for Oviedo and Gijón. Similarly, Vilanova i la Geltrú is included in Barcelona metropolitan area by ESPON, but as a separate conurbation by Ruiz.
| Metropolitan area | ESPON | Urban Audit | Ruiz |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid | 5,263,000 | 70065804829000000005,804,829 | 70066138056000000006,138,056 |
| Barcelona | 4,251,000 | 70064233638000000004,233,638 | 70064542490000000004,542,490 |
| Valencia–Sagunto | 1,499,000 | 70061564145000000001,564,145 | 70062300000000000002,300,000 |
| Seville | 1,262,000 | 70061249346000000001,249,346 | 70061360361000000001,360,361 |
| Bilbao | 947,000 | 7005939994000000000939,994 | 7005953152000000000953,152 |
| Málaga | 844,000 | 7005699916000000000699,916 | 7005923104000000000923,104 |
| Oviedo–Gijón–Avilés | 844,000 | 7005617300000000000617,300 |
7005863050000000000863,050 |
| Alicante–Elche | 793,000 | 7005429060000000000429,060 | 7005785020000000000785,020 |
| Las Palmas | 640,000 | 7005625892000000000625,892 | 7005741826000000000741,826 |
| Zaragoza | 639,000 | 7005685873000000000685,873 | 7005715894000000000715,894 |
| Murcia–Orihuela | 623,000 | 7005479313000000000479,313 | 7005763723000000000763,723 |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 581,947 | 7005481592000000000481,592 | |
| Granada | 440,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005498365000000000498,365 |
| Palma | 433,000 | 7005593386000000000593,386 | 7005509116000000000509,116 |
| Vigo | 413,000 | 7005548799000000000548,799 | 7005666292000000000666,292 |
| Cádiz | 400,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005425462000000000425,462 |
| San Sebastián | 393,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005404921000000000404,921 |
| A Coruña–Oleiros–Arteixo | 376,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005408068000000000408,068 |
| Valladolid | 369,000 | 7005430576000000000430,576 | 7005395984000000000395,984 |
| Tarragona(–Reus) | 325,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005423360000000000423,360 |
| Córdoba | 314,000 | 7005779870000000000779,870 | 7005325453000000000325,453 |
| Pamplona | 286,000 | 7005355577000000000355,577 | 7005328511000000000328,511 |
| Castellón de la Plana | 259,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005386906000000000386,906 |
| Santander–Torrelavega | 249,000 | 7005290785000000000290,785 | 7005391293000000000391,293 |
| Alzira–Xàtiva | 241,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005348582000000000348,582 |
| Cartagena–Torre-Pacheco | 231,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005273005000000000273,005 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 226,000 | 7005252384000000000252,384 | 7005242837000000000242,837 |
| Algeciras–La Línea de la Concepción | 206,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005230203000000000230,203 |
| Huelva | 193,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005215530000000000215,530 |
| Almería | 192,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005218236000000000218,236 |
| Salamanca | 192,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005205489000000000205,489 |
| Jerez de la Frontera | 189,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005209690000000000209,690 |
| León | 187,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005201987000000000201,987 |
| Albacete | 185,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005173457000000000173,457 |
| Jaén–Martos | 180,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005191652000000000191,652 |
| Burgos | 176,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005192692000000000192,692 |
| Logroño | 156,000 | 7005171599000000000171,599 | 7005186985000000000186,985 |
| Ferrol–Narón | 155,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005156111000000000156,111 |
| Lleida | 147,000 | 7005363900000000000363,900 | 7005176543000000000176,543 |
| Girona–Salt | 144,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005180426000000000180,426 |
| Pontevedra–Marín | 142,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005149255000000000149,255 |
| Badajoz | 141,000 | 7005663896000000000663,896 | 7005151579000000000151,579 |
| La Orotava–Puerto de la Cruz(–Los Realejos) | 140,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005151623000000000151,623 |
| Santiago de Compostela | 138,000 | 7005186332000000000186,332 | 7005151690000000000151,690 |
| Ourense | 137,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005138600000000000138,600 |
| Benidorm(–La Vila Joiosa) | 134,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005183253000000000183,253 |
| Gandia(–Oliva) | 132,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005169916000000000169,916 |
| Blanes(–Pineda de Mar–Lloret de Mar) | 131,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005182673000000000182,673 |
| Manresa | 122,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005145215000000000145,215 |
| Marbella | 116,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005138447000000000138,447 |
| Torrelavega | 116,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005129509000000000129,509 |
| Vic–Manlleu | 111,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005129994000000000129,994 |
| Guadalajara | 104,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005144687000000000144,687 |
| Lugo | 99,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005106066000000000106,066 |
| Palencia | 99,000 | 5000000000000000000— | 7005103511000000000103,511 |
| Toledo | 95,000 | 7005167036000000000167,036 | 7005119368000000000119,368 |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, metropolitan, areas and/or spain:
“The advice of their elders to young men is very apt to be as unreal as a list of the hundred best books.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935)
“Feminism is an entire world view or gestalt, not just a laundry list of women’s issues.”
—Charlotte Bunch (b. 1944)
“In metropolitan cases, the love of the most single-eyed lover, almost invariably, is nothing more than the ultimate settling of innumerable wandering glances upon some one specific object.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“The ambiguous, gray areas of authority and responsibility between parents and teachers exacerbate the distrust between them. The distrust is further complicated by the fact that it is rarely articulated, but usually remains smoldering and silent.”
—Sara Lawrence Lightfoot (20th century)
“Heroic ages are not and never were sentimental and those daring conquistadores who conquered entire worlds for their Spain or Portugal received lamentably little thanks from their kings.”
—Stefan Zweig (18811942)