Blanes
A municipality in the Selva comarca, province of Girona
1st most populous of 26 municipalities in Selva
Blanes is the most populous municipality in the Selva comarca (province of Girona), with 42,446 residents. Disposable household income is €16,740 per resident, 8% below the Selva median. The unemployment rate is 11.6%. The nearest train station is Blanes, 1.9 km away (Rodalies / Renfe), with the fastest train to Barcelona taking 1h05. 74% of Blanes'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 Blanes compares in Selva
Where the municipality sits among those of the Selva comarca, indicator by indicator.
Around the middle
- Higher education28.5%13th of 26
- Train time to Barcelona~1h0515th of 26
- Unemployment rate11.6%19th of 23
- Income per resident16,740 €18th of 21
Neither better nor worse
- Foreign-born25.8%4th of 26
- Can speak Catalan74%24th of 26
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
- 42,4462025
- Density
- 2,404 inh./km²2025
- Surface area
- 17.7 km²2025
- Altitude
- 13 m
- Population aged 65+
- 20.4%2025
- Foreigners
- 25.8%2025
- Annual Growth
- +1.2%2024
Economy
- Income (per person)
- 16,740 €2023 (p)
- Unemployment
- 11.6%2024
- Higher education
- 28.5%2024
Housing
- Rented dwellings
- 23.8%2021
Getting around
- Nearest train station
- Blanes · 1.9 km · Rodalies / Renfe
- To Barcelona by train
- ~1h05
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
- High2026
- Wildfires 2011-2024
- 23 fires started here · 36.5 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
- 74%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 Blanes?
- Blanes had 42,446 residents on the 2025 municipal register, making it the 1st most populous of the 26 municipalities in Selva.
- How long does it take to get from Blanes to Barcelona by train?
- Blanes has its own railway station, and the fastest train reaches central Barcelona in ~1h05 (approximate schedule).
- What do people earn in Blanes?
- Household disposable income per resident in Blanes is 16,740 € a year (Idescat, 2023 (p)), 8% below the comarca median.
- Do people speak Catalan in Blanes?
- 74% of residents in Blanes 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 Blanes at risk of flooding or wildfire?
- The civil-protection plans in force (2026) classify the flood risk in Blanes 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 Blanes?
- 23.8% of main dwellings in Blanes are rented (2021).
Data from Idescat (EMEX). Per-indicator sources have different reference years; see each section's note.