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:
“Thirty—the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning brief-case of enthusiasm, thinning hair.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
“Hey, you dress up our town very nicely. You don’t look out the Chamber of Commerce is going to list you in their publicity with the local attractions.”
—Robert M. Fresco, and Jack Arnold. Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar)
“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 planet on which we live is poorly organized, many areas are overpopulated, others are reserved for a few, technology’s potential is only in part realized, and most people are starving.”
—Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990)
“England and France, Spain and Portugal, Gold Coast and Slave Coast, all front on this private sea; but no bark from them has ventured out of sight of land, though it is without doubt the direct way to India.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)