Background: Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Spain remained neutral during both World Wars but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39) resulting in a dictatorship. A peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization after Spain joined the EU in 1986 gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy. After a severe recession in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008, Spain has posted solid years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the euro-zone's fourth-largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region.

Area
Total: 505,370 km²
Land: 498,980 km²
Water: 6,390 km²
Note: includes two autonomous cities (Ceuta and Melilla), 17 autonomous communities (including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands), and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco -- Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
Comparative: almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries
Total: 1,952.7 km
Border countries (5): (5) Andorra 63 km; France 646 km; Gibraltar 1.2 km; Portugal 1,224 km; Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km; and Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km
Note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Coastline: 4,964 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)

Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in north

Elevation
Highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 660 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 49.6% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 23% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 10.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 19.8% (2023 est.)
Forest: 38.2% (2023 est.)
Other: 12.3% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 38,012 km² (2022)

Major rivers: Tagus river source (shared with Portugal [m]) - 1,006 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Natural hazards: periodic droughts, occasional flooding
Volcanism: volcanic activity in the Canary Islands, located off Africa's northwest coast; Teide (3,715 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; La Palma (2,426 m) is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes; Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano

Geography
Note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco, including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas; Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are the Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde

Population
Total: 47,280,433 (2024 est.)
Male: 23,069,327
Female: 24,211,106
Distribution: with the notable exception of Madrid, Sevilla, and Zaragoza, the largest urban agglomerations are found along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; numerous smaller cities are spread throughout the interior; very dense settlement around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona
Growth rate: 0.12% (2024 est.)

Languages: Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in part of Catalonia) <5,000 speakers
Major-language sample(s): ; La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Note: Aragonese, Aranese Asturian, Calo, and Valencian are also recognized as regional languages

Religions: Roman Catholic 58.2%, atheist 16.2%, agnostic 10.8%, other 2.7%, non-believer 10.5%, unspecified 1.7% (2021 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 13% (male 3,147,019/female 3,012,821)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 15,662,492/female 15,585,138)
65 years and over: 20.9% (2024 est.) (male 4,259,816/female 5,613,147)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 51.3 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 19.7 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 31.6 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.2 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 46.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 45.7 years
Female: 47.8 years

Population growth rate: 0.12% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 7.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: with the notable exception of Madrid, Sevilla, and Zaragoza, the largest urban agglomerations are found along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; numerous smaller cities are spread throughout the interior; very dense settlement around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

Urbanization
Urban population: 81.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Note: data include Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla

Major urban areas
Population: 6.751 million MADRID (capital), 5.687 million Barcelona, 838,000 Valencia (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 83 years (2024 est.)
Male: 80.3 years
Female: 85.8 years

Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.4% (2024 est.); 12.2% (2023 est.); 13% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Madrid
Geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Time zone note: Spain has two time zones, including the Canary Islands (UTC 0)
Etymology: the meaning and origin of the name is unclear; the city grew from a small Moorish fort that was called Majerit in the first recorded mention in A.D. 932; some trace the modern-day name back to the Roman era, with the Latin word materia (materials) as a possible source

Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma) and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia; Aragon; Asturias; Canarias (Canary Islands); Cantabria; Castilla-La Mancha; Castilla-Leon; Cataluña (Castilian), Catalunya (Catalan), Catalonha (Aranese) [Catalonia]; Ceuta*; Comunidad Valenciana (Castilian), Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian) [Valencian Community]; Extremadura; Galicia; Illes Baleares (Balearic Islands); La Rioja; Madrid; Melilla*; Murcia; Navarra (Castilian), Nafarroa (Basque) [Navarre]; Pais Vasco (Castilian), Euskadi (Basque) [Basque Country]
Note: Spain administers the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Velez de la Gomera, which are all located along the coast of Morocco; they are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)

Legal system: civil law system with regional variations

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Executive branch
Chief of state: King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014)
Head of government: President of the Government of Spain (prime minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ PEREZ-CASTEJON (since 2 June 2018)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
Election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the monarch usually proposes as president the leader of the majority party or coalition, who is then indirectly elected by the Congress of Deputies; vice president and Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Most recent election date: 23 July 2023
Election results: Congress of Deputies vote - 179 to 171 (16 November 2023)
Expected date of next election: 31 July 2,027
Note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding

Legislative branch
Legislature name: The Cortes (Las Cortes Generales)
Legislative structure: bicameral

Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double-width), and red, with the national coat of arms on the left side of the yellow band; the coat of arms shows the emblems of the area's former kingdoms (clockwise from upper left: Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon), which also used red and yellow as their colors; the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield represents Granada; the two columns represent the Pillars of Hercules, which are promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on the Strait of Gibraltar; a red scroll bears the imperial motto of 'Plus Ultra' (further beyond), referring to Spanish lands outside Europe

National anthem
Title: 'Himno Nacional Espanol' (National Anthem of Spain)
Lyrics/music: no lyrics/unknown
History: adopted 1942;officially in use between 1770 and 1931, restored in 1939; the Spanish anthem was the first to be officially adopted; it first appeared in a 1761 military bugle-call book and was replaced by 'Himno de Riego' in the years between 1931 and 1939; the long version of the anthem is used for the king, and the short version is used for the prince, prime minister, and occasions such as sporting events

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 50 (44 cultural, 4 natural, 2 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 3.2% (2024 est.); 2.7% (2023 est.); 6.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 3.2% (2024 est.); 2.7% (2023 est.); 6.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 54.3% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 19.5% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 19.7% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.3% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 38.1% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -34.1% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.5% (2024 est.)
Industry: 19.5% (2024 est.)
Services: 69.1% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Industrial production growth rate: 2.6% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 24.386 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 11.4% (2024 est.); 12.2% (2023 est.); 13% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 11.4% (2024 est.); 12.2% (2023 est.); 13% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $512.57 billion (2023 est.)
Expenditures: $549.772 billion (2023 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 15% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $642.358 billion (2024 est.); $616.648 billion (2023 est.); $573.598 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: cars, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, garments (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $568.502 billion (2024 est.); $552.948 billion (2023 est.); $561.448 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: crude petroleum, cars, garments, vehicle parts/accessories, natural gas (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 130.366 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 227.187 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 25.279 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 11.315 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 24.532 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 28% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 20.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 17.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 23.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 8.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 2.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 1.28 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 7.388 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 1.629 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 9.798 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.187 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 47,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 1.325 million bbl/day (2024 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 150 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 34.124 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 29.041 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 6.576 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 35.252 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 2.549 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 254.823 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 13.39 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 182.327 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 59.105 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 101.12 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 18.431 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 38 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 61.2 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 124 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 95% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 18.2 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 38 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 2% of GDP (2025 est.); 1.4% of GDP (2024 est.); 1.2% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.1% of GDP (2022 est.); 1% of GDP (2021 est.)

Airports: 365 (2025)

Heliports: 162 (2025)

Railways
Total: 15,489 km (2020) 9,953 km electrified

Merchant marine
Total: 503 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 1, general cargo 33, oil tanker 24, other 445