Spain at its true size
Spain covers 505,990 km², number 50 of 194 countries by area. Home to 49,355,143 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.71× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50mRemote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
| Area | 505,990 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 49,355,143 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 98 per km² |
| Capital | Madrid |
| Local time in Madrid | |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 · UTC to UTC+1, 2 time zones IANA |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) Wikidata |
| Languages | Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Occitan, Galician |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Southern Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | EUNATOEuro areaSchengen AreaOECD |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +34 |
| Codes | ES · ESP · 724 |
Weather in Madrid now
Now
—Loading the forecast…
The next three days
Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Spain ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#32 of 19449 million people#6 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#93 of 19498 people per km²#23 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#40 of 19281% urban#15 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#186 of 1921.10 births per woman#40 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#96 of 192+1.03% a year#8 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#187 of 1926.5 births per 1,000 people#40 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#55 of 1928.9 deaths per 1,000 people#32 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#186 of 19212.6% under 15#40 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#17 of 19221.6% aged 65 and over#16 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#38 of 192+2.0 per 1,000 people#18 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#174 of 1900.00 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#32 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#10 of 19283.9 years#8 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#172 of 1912.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#26 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#24 of 1784.29 doctors per 1,000 people#19 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#11 of 14593.8% gross enrolment#4 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#27 of 190an index of 0.918#18 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#30 of 185$37,120 a person#19 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#20 of 18496% online#11 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#32 of 184$59,868 a person#20 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#108 of 187+2.8% a year#12 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#96 of 176+2.7% a year#23 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#33 of 17810.4% of the labour force#5 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#92 of 1490.8% under $3.00 a day#8 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#90 of 149a Gini index of 33.4#11 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#144 of 1783.4% of jobs#22 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#79 of 17819.9% of jobs#24 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#25 of 17876.8% of jobs#14 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#110 of 1841.5% of GDP#24 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#81 of 16836.6% of GDP#33 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#55 of 1552.1% of GDP#18 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#52 of 191130 subscriptions per 100 people#15 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#52 of 1854.51 tonnes a person#22 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#73 of 19238% forest#16 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#110 of 19019.0% renewable#25 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#154 of 19110.1 µg/m³#25 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#43 of 19128.1% of the land protected#15 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#45 of 19022.8% of the land arable#21 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#42 of 17643.3% of its available fresh water#4 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#124 of 180636 mm a year#25 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Spain’s area, lit up on the map →
- Thailand0.99×Spain and Thailand are almost exactly the same size.
- Turkmenistan1.03×Spain is 3% larger than Turkmenistan.
- Cameroon1.06×Spain is 6% larger than Cameroon.
- Papua New Guinea1.09×Spain is 9% larger than Papua New Guinea.
- Yemen1.11×Spain is 11% larger than Yemen.
- Uzbekistan1.13×Spain is 13% larger than Uzbekistan.
How many times does Spain fit into…
- Russia: about 34 times
- Canada: about 20 times
- United States: about 19 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Spain shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Tagus1,007 km
- Ebro910 km
- Douro897 km
- Garonne647 km
Summits
- Teide3,715 m
- Mulhacén3,479 m
- Aneto3,404 m
- Torre Cerredo2,648 m
- Pico Almanzor2,591 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Spain. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Spain
- How big is Spain?
- Spain covers 505,990 km², which makes it number 50 of 194 countries by area. About 49,355,143 people live there (2025), 98 per km².
- Is Spain bigger than Thailand?
- Spain and Thailand are almost exactly the same size. Spain: 505,990 km²; Thailand: 513,120 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Spain?
- At about 40° latitude, Mercator stretches Spain to roughly 1.71× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Spain?
- Spain shares a land border with France, Portugal, Andorra.