How many people live in Salou?

Salou had 31,018 residents on the 2025 municipal register, making it the 2nd most populous of the 22 municipalities in Tarragonès.

How long does it take to get from Salou to Barcelona by train?

The nearest station to Salou is Salou-Port Aventura, 1.6 km away, and the fastest train reaches central Barcelona in ~1h30 (approximate schedule).

What do people earn in Salou?

Household disposable income per resident in Salou is 16,118 € a year (Idescat, 2023 (p)), 7% below the comarca median.

Do people speak Catalan in Salou?

57.9% of residents in Salou 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 Salou at risk of flooding or wildfire?

The civil-protection plans in force (2026) classify the flood risk in Salou as "High" and its wildfire hazard as "Well below the Catalan average". Wildfire hazard is relative to the Catalan average, not a probability of burning.

Do people rent or own in Salou?

25.1% of main dwellings in Salou are rented (2021).

Tarragonès comarca

Salou

A municipality in the Tarragonès comarca, province of Tarragona

2nd most populous of 22 municipalities in Tarragonès

Salou is the 2nd most populous of the 22 municipalities in the Tarragonès comarca (province of Tarragona), with 31,018 residents. Disposable household income is €16,118 per resident, 7% below the Tarragonès median. The unemployment rate is 9%. The nearest train station is Salou-Port Aventura, 1.6 km away (Rodalies / Renfe), but Barcelona is 1h30 away on the fastest train. Catalan knowledge is lower than in most of Catalonia: 57.9% in the 2011 census, the last to ask at municipal level. Under the Generalitat's civil-protection plans, flood risk is high.

Population31,018 · 2025

Density2,050 inh./km²

Income (per person)16,118 € · 2023 (p)7% below the comarca median

Can speak Catalan57.9% 2011

Nearest train station1.6 km Salou-Port Aventura

To Barcelona by train~1h30 Rodalies / Renfe

How Salou compares in Tarragonès

Where the municipality sits among those of the Tarragonès comarca, indicator by indicator.

Worth knowing

Income per resident16,118 €16th of 18
Train time to Barcelona~1h3021st of 22

Around the middle

Higher education34.9%11th of 22
Unemployment rate9%13th of 20

Neither better nor worse

Foreign-born42.8%1st of 22
Can speak Catalan57.9%22nd of 22

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: 31,0182025
Density: 2,050 inh./km²2025
Surface area: 15.1 km²2025
Altitude: 2 m
Population aged 65+: 15.1%2025
Foreigners: 42.8%2025
Annual Growth: +1.9%2024

Economy

Income (per person): 16,118 €2023 (p)
Unemployment: 9%2024
Higher education: 34.9%2024

Housing

Rented dwellings: 25.1%2021

Getting around

Nearest train station: Salou-Port Aventura · 1.6 km · Rodalies / Renfe
To Barcelona by train: ~1h30

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: High2026
Main flood sources: River flooding · Coastal storms · Heavy rainfall · Ravines and torrents
Wildfire hazard: Well below the Catalan average2026
Wildfire vulnerability: Medium2026
Wildfires 2011-2024: No forest fire started here

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: 57.9%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 Salou?: Salou had 31,018 residents on the 2025 municipal register, making it the 2nd most populous of the 22 municipalities in Tarragonès.
How long does it take to get from Salou to Barcelona by train?: The nearest station to Salou is Salou-Port Aventura, 1.6 km away, and the fastest train reaches central Barcelona in ~1h30 (approximate schedule).
What do people earn in Salou?: Household disposable income per resident in Salou is 16,118 € a year (Idescat, 2023 (p)), 7% below the comarca median.
Do people speak Catalan in Salou?: 57.9% of residents in Salou 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 Salou at risk of flooding or wildfire?: The civil-protection plans in force (2026) classify the flood risk in Salou as "High" and its wildfire hazard as "Well below the Catalan average". Wildfire hazard is relative to the Catalan average, not a probability of burning.
Do people rent or own in Salou?: 25.1% of main dwellings in Salou are rented (2021).

See the Tarragonès comarca →Explore every comarca on the interactive map →

Data from Idescat (EMEX). Per-indicator sources have different reference years; see each section's note.