Berga
A municipality in the Berguedà comarca, province of Barcelona
1st most populous of 31 municipalities in Berguedà
Berga is the most populous municipality in the Berguedà comarca (province of Barcelona), with 17,539 residents. Disposable household income is €19,322 per resident, essentially the comarca median. The unemployment rate is 10.5%. No passenger rail line connects the municipality directly to Barcelona. 86.8% of 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 Berga compares in Berguedà
Where the municipality sits among those of the Berguedà comarca, indicator by indicator.
Worth knowing
- Unemployment rate10.5%8th of 10
Around the middle
- Income per resident19,322 €6th of 8
- Higher education30.7%28th of 31
Neither better nor worse
- Foreign-born23.3%1st of 31
- Can speak Catalan86.8%24th of 28
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
- 17,5392025
- Density
- 777 inh./km²2025
- Surface area
- 22.6 km²2025
- Altitude
- 704 m
- Population aged 65+
- 23.4%2025
- Foreigners
- 23.3%2025
- Annual Growth
- +2%2024
Economy
- Income (per person)
- 19,322 €2023 (p)
- Unemployment
- 10.5%2024
- Higher education
- 30.7%2024
Housing
- Rented dwellings
- 23.9%2021
Getting around
- Nearest train station
- Toses · 27.9 km · Rodalies / Renfe
- To Barcelona by train
- No direct rail line
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
- Dams and reservoirs
- Wildfire hazard
- Below the Catalan average2026
- Wildfire vulnerability
- High2026
- Wildfires 2011-2024
- 7 fires started here · 2.1 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
- 86.8%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 Berga?
- Berga had 17,539 residents on the 2025 municipal register, making it the 1st most populous of the 31 municipalities in Berguedà.
- How long does it take to get from Berga to Barcelona by train?
- The nearest railway station to Berga is Toses, 27.9 km away, but no direct line runs to Barcelona from there.
- What do people earn in Berga?
- Household disposable income per resident in Berga is 19,322 € a year (Idescat, 2023 (p)), at the comarca median.
- Do people speak Catalan in Berga?
- 86.8% of residents in Berga 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 Berga at risk of flooding or wildfire?
- The civil-protection plans in force (2026) classify the flood risk in Berga as "Very high" and its wildfire hazard as "Below the Catalan average". Wildfire hazard is relative to the Catalan average, not a probability of burning.
- Do people rent or own in Berga?
- 23.9% of main dwellings in Berga are rented (2021).
Data from Idescat (EMEX). Per-indicator sources have different reference years; see each section's note.