Ireland vs Spain: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 64.6% in Ireland and 80.5% in Spain, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Spain, by 15.9 percentage points, or 1.25 times that in Ireland.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

IrelandSpainUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Spain has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Ireland at 73.6% and Spain at 89.5% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Ireland	Spain
2025	64.6	80.5
2024	64.4	80.3
2023	64.1	80.1
2022	63.9	80
2021	63.7	79.8
2020	63.5	79.7
2019	63.3	79.6
2018	63.1	79.6
2017	62.9	79.5
2016	62.7	79.4
2015	62.6	79.3
2014	62.5	79.1
2013	62.4	79
2012	62.3	78.9
2011	62.1	78.7
2010	61.9	78.5
2009	61.6	78.3
2008	61.4	78
2007	61.1	77.8
2006	60.8	77.5
2005	60.5	77.2
2004	60.2	77
2003	59.9	76.7
2002	59.6	76.5
2001	59.4	76.3
2000	59.1	76.2
1999	58.9	76
1998	58.6	75.9
1997	58.4	75.8
1996	58.2	75.7
1995	57.9	75.6
1994	57.7	75.5
1993	57.5	75.3
1992	57.3	75.2
1991	57.1	75
1990	56.9	74.8
1989	56.8	74.6
1988	56.7	74.4
1987	56.6	74.1
1986	56.4	73.8
1985	56.3	73.5
1984	56.2	73.1
1983	56	72.8
1982	55.8	72.4
1981	55.7	72
1980	55.4	71.5
1979	55.2	71.1
1978	54.9	70.6
1977	54.6	70.1
1976	54.3	69.6
1975	53.9	69.1
1974	53.6	68.5
1973	53.2	68
1972	52.8	67.4
1971	52.3	66.8
1970	51.9	66.2
1969	51.3	65.4
1968	50.7	64.4
1967	50	63.4
1966	49.4	62.3
1965	48.6	61.1
1964	47.8	60
1963	46.9	58.9
1962	46.1	58
1961	45.4	57.1
1960	44.9	56.5
1959	44.4	55.8
1958	44.1	55.3
1957	43.7	54.7
1956	43.4	54.2
1955	43.1	53.8
1954	42.8	53.3
1953	42.4	52.9
1952	42	52.4
1951	41.6	52
1950	41	51.6

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Ireland	Spain
2026	64.8	80.7
2027	65.1	81
2028	65.4	81.2
2029	65.6	81.4
2030	65.9	81.7
2031	66.2	82
2032	66.5	82.3
2033	66.8	82.6
2034	67.2	82.9
2035	67.5	83.2
2036	67.8	83.6
2037	68.2	83.9
2038	68.5	84.3
2039	68.9	84.6
2040	69.3	85
2041	69.7	85.4
2042	70.1	85.8
2043	70.5	86.2
2044	70.9	86.7
2045	71.3	87.1
2046	71.8	87.6
2047	72.2	88
2048	72.7	88.5
2049	73.1	89
2050	73.6	89.5

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Ireland vs Spain: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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