Spain · region
Cantabria population 2026
Cantabria has 593,623 people on the latest official figure, for 1 January 2025, 2,772 more than a year earlier (+0.47%). It is 16th of Spain’s 19 autonomous communities by population, home to 1.2% of Spain’s people.
If last year’s change continues: about 598 thousand by 1 July 2026. That is our arithmetic, not an official figure.
Cantabria in numbers
- Population
- 594 thousand 1 January 2025
- Change in a year
- +0.47% +2,772 people
- Change since 2020
- +1.82% from 583 thousand
- Share of Spain
- 1.2% 16th of 19 autonomous communities
- Population density
- 112per km² 5,321 km²
That is about as many people as Western Sahara (611 thousand).
Population of Cantabria by year
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 592,383 |
| 2013 | 589,789 |
| 2014 | 587,491 |
| 2015 | 585,184 |
| 2016 | 582,494 |
| 2017 | 581,421 |
| 2018 | 581,533 |
| 2019 | 581,989 |
| 2020 | 583,011 |
| 2021 | 584,708 |
| 2022 | 585,451 |
| 2023 | 588,387 |
| 2024 | 590,851 |
| 2025 | 593,623 |
| Year | Population | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 593,623 | +2,772 | +0.47% |
| 2024 | 590,851 | +2,464 | +0.42% |
| 2023 | 588,387 | +2,936 | +0.50% |
| 2022 | 585,451 | +743 | +0.13% |
| 2021 | 584,708 | +1,697 | +0.29% |
| 2020 | 583,011 | +1,022 | +0.18% |
| 2019 | 581,989 | +456 | +0.08% |
| 2018 | 581,533 | +112 | +0.02% |
| 2017 | 581,421 | −1,073 | −0.18% |
| 2016 | 582,494 | −2,690 | −0.46% |
| 2015 | 585,184 | −2,307 | −0.39% |
| 2014 | 587,491 | −2,298 | −0.39% |
| 2013 | 589,789 | −2,594 | −0.44% |
| 2012 | 592,383 | – | – |
Cantabria among Spain’s autonomous communities
Full ranking →| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andalusia | 8,676,713 | +0.52% | 17.7% | 99 |
| 2 | Catalonia | 8,124,126 | +1.40% | 16.5% | 255 |
| 3 | Community of Madrid | 7,113,886 | +1.49% | 14.5% | 886 |
| 4 | Valencian Community | 5,425,182 | +1.99% | 11.0% | 233 |
| 5 | Galicia | 2,714,741 | +0.33% | 5.5% | 92 |
| 6 | Castile and León | 2,401,221 | +0.40% | 4.9% | 26 |
| 7 | Canary Islands | 2,258,866 | +0.90% | 4.6% | 303 |
| 8 | Basque Country | 2,242,343 | +0.66% | 4.6% | 310 |
| 9 | Castilla-La Mancha | 2,126,378 | +1.04% | 4.3% | 27 |
| 10 | Region of Murcia | 1,586,989 | +1.18% | 3.2% | 140 |
| 11 | Aragon | 1,364,621 | +0.96% | 2.8% | 29 |
| 12 | Balearic Islands | 1,249,844 | +1.47% | 2.5% | 250 |
| 13 | Extremadura | 1,053,345 | −0.13% | 2.1% | 25 |
| 14 | Asturias | 1,015,128 | +0.55% | 2.1% | 96 |
| 15 | Navarre | 683,854 | +0.81% | 1.4% | 66 |
| 16 | Cantabria | 593,623 | +0.47% | 1.2% | 112 |
| 17 | La Rioja | 326,803 | +0.81% | 0.7% | 65 |
| 18 | Melilla | 87,067 | +1.26% | 0.2% | 7,057 |
| 19 | Ceuta | 83,567 | +0.47% | 0.2% | 4,517 |
Largest cities in Cantabria
City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.
- Santander173,635
- Torrelavega55,297
- Castro-Urdiales31,977
- Camargo30,263
- El Astillero18,108
Questions
What is the population of Cantabria in 2026?
Is Cantabria’s population growing or shrinking?
How does Cantabria rank in Spain?
What is the population density of Cantabria?
What is the largest city in Cantabria?
Source and method
Eurostat, population on 1 January by NUTS region (demo_r_d2jan). Eurostat reuse policy (CC BY 4.0). Total area, Wikidata. Eurostat updates regional populations once a year. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Spain, which uses a different method. The 2026 figure above carries last year’s change forward; it does not come from the source.
Cite this page: Cantabria population, Eurostat, 1 January 2025. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/spain/cantabria/
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