Autonomous communities of Spain by population
Andalusia had the highest population of 19 autonomous communities in 2017, at 8.38 million. Ceuta had the lowest, at 84,959. The median was 1.47 million and the figure for Spain was 46.57 million. Source: the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.
All autonomous communities, 2017
Full ranking
| Rank | Autonomous communities | 2017 | Change on 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andalusia | 8,379,820 | -0.1% |
| 2 | Catalonia | 7,555,830 | +0.4% |
| 3 | Community of Madrid | 6,507,184 | +0.6% |
| 4 | Valencian Community | 4,941,509 | -0.4% |
| 5 | Galicia | 2,708,339 | -0.4% |
| 6 | Castile and León | 2,425,801 | -0.9% |
| 7 | Basque Country | 2,194,158 | +0.2% |
| 8 | Canary Islands | 2,108,121 | +0.3% |
| 9 | Castilla-La Mancha | 2,031,479 | -0.5% |
| 10 | Region of Murcia | 1,470,273 | +0.4% |
| 11 | Aragon | 1,308,750 | 0% |
| 12 | Balearic Islands | 1,115,999 | +0.8% |
| 13 | Extremadura | 1,079,920 | -0.7% |
| 14 | Asturias | 1,034,960 | -0.7% |
| 15 | Navarre | 643,234 | +0.4% |
| 16 | Cantabria | 580,295 | -0.3% |
| 17 | La Rioja | 315,381 | -0.1% |
| 18 | Melilla | 86,120 | +0.1% |
| 19 | Ceuta | 84,959 | +0.5% |
Other periods
About this ranking
Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
For Denmark, Statistics Denmark counts the registered resident population on 1 January. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. The annual series selects the first-quarter reference date from FOLK1A. The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the autonomous communities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Cifras oficiales de población de los municipios españoles: Revisión del Padrón municipal (tabla 29005). https://www.ine.es/jaxiT3/Tabla.htm?t=29005. Retrieved 2026-10-07.Use this data in your AI agent
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Rank Autonomous communities of Spain by population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"population","level":"region","within":"Spain","limit":10}
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Which autonomous community has the highest population?
Andalusia, with 8.38 million in 2017, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística.
Which autonomous community has the lowest population?
Ceuta, with 84,959 in 2017.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Cifras oficiales de población de los municipios españoles: Revisión del Padrón municipal (tabla 29005). Retrieved 2026-10-07.
Population: other rankings
- Countries
- EU countries
- US states
- EU regions (NUTS 2)
- US counties
- Provinces of Spain
- Municipalities of Spain
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of France (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Poland (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Greece (NUTS 2)
Autonomous communities of Spain: more rankings
- Active companies
- Activity rate
- At-risk-of-poverty rate
- Average age
- Average home mortgage amount
- Live births
- New companies created
- Inflation (CPI annual change)
- Consumer price index (CPI)
- Crude birth rate
- Crude death rate
- Deaths
- Dependency ratio
- Age dependency ratio (ages 15 to 64 base)
- Employment rate
- Enterprises using artificial intelligence