Barcelona
A municipality in the Barcelonès comarca, province of Barcelona
1st most populous of 5 municipalities in Barcelonès
Barcelona is the most populous municipality in the Barcelonès comarca (province of Barcelona), with 1,713,247 residents. Disposable household income is €25,898 per resident, 47% above the Barcelonès median — among the highest in the comarca. The unemployment rate is 7.4%. The nearest train station is Barcelona Estació de França, 0.6 km away (Rodalies / Renfe), inside the Barcelona commuter-rail network. 72.3% of Barcelona's residents said they could speak Catalan in the 2011 census, the last to ask at municipal level. Under the Generalitat's civil-protection plans, flood risk is very high.
How Barcelona compares in Barcelonès
Where the municipality sits among those of the Barcelonès comarca, indicator by indicator.
Where it stands out
- Income per resident25,898 €1st of 5
- Unemployment rate7.4%1st of 5
- Higher education51%1st of 5
Neither better nor worse
- Can speak Catalan72.3%1st of 5
- Foreign-born34.6%2nd of 5
On these indicators neither end is better — it depends what you are looking for. Shown highest to lowest.
Each position is computed only among the municipalities of the comarca that publish that indicator: Idescat suppresses figures for the smallest ones, so the total can be lower than the comarca's municipality count. No position is published for a cohort of fewer than 5.
All the data
Demographics
- Population
- 1,713,2472025
- Density
- 16,904 inh./km²2025
- Surface area
- 101.4 km²2025
- Altitude
- 13 m
- Population aged 65+
- 21%2025
- Foreigners
- 34.6%2025
- Annual Growth
- +1.6%2024
Economy
- Income (per person)
- 25,898 €2023 (p)
- Unemployment
- 7.4%2024
- Higher education
- 51%2024
Housing
- Rented dwellings
- 31.1%2021
Getting around
- Nearest train station
- Barcelona Estació de França · 0.6 km · Rodalies / Renfe
Straight-line distance to the nearest station. Time is the fastest scheduled train (approximate, not a specific departure); it may require a change.
Natural risk
- Flood risk
- Very high2026
- Main flood sources
- River flooding · Coastal storms
- Wildfire hazard
- Around the Catalan average2026
- Wildfire vulnerability
- Very high2026
- Wildfires 2011-2024
- 79 fires started here · 82.8 ha burned
Official Generalitat classification: the INUNCAT (flood) and INFOCAT (wildfire) special plans, Departament d'Interior. The flood level is the maximum across every flood type affecting the municipality. Wildfire hazard is expressed relative to the Catalan average, not as an absolute probability. Fires (2011-2024, Departament d'Acció Climàtica) are attributed to the municipality where they started, so the burned area may extend into neighbouring municipalities.
Language
- Can speak Catalan
- 72.3%2011
Source: Idescat, 2011 census — the last one to carry this question at municipal level. Real, but old.
Frequently asked questions
- How many people live in Barcelona?
- Barcelona had 1,713,247 residents on the 2025 municipal register, making it the 1st most populous of the 5 municipalities in Barcelonès.
- What do people earn in Barcelona?
- Household disposable income per resident in Barcelona is 25,898 € a year (Idescat, 2023 (p)), 47% above the comarca median.
- Do people speak Catalan in Barcelona?
- 72.3% of residents in Barcelona reported being able to speak Catalan in the 2011 census, the last edition to carry the question at municipal level. It measures the ability to speak it, not everyday use.
- Is Barcelona at risk of flooding or wildfire?
- The civil-protection plans in force (2026) classify the flood risk in Barcelona as "Very high" and its wildfire hazard as "Around the Catalan average". Wildfire hazard is relative to the Catalan average, not a probability of burning.
- Do people rent or own in Barcelona?
- 31.1% of main dwellings in Barcelona are rented (2021).
Data from Idescat (EMEX). Per-indicator sources have different reference years; see each section's note.