Spain

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Official nameReino de España (Kingdom of Spain)
Form of governmentconstitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [266¹]; Congress of Deputies [350])
Head of stateKing: Felipe VI
Head of governmentPrime Minister: Pedro Sánchez
CapitalMadrid
Official languageCastilian Spanish²
Official religionnone
Monetary uniteuro (€)
Population(2025 est.) 49,270,000
Population rank(2025) 30
Population projection 203047,083,000
Total area (sq mi)195,360
Total area (sq km)505,983
Density: persons per sq mi(2025) 252.2
Density: persons per sq km(2025) 97.4
Urban-rural populationUrban: (2024) 81.8%Rural: (2024) 18.2%
Life expectancy at birthMale: (2023) 81.1 yearsFemale: (2023) 86.3 years
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literateMale: (2020) 99%Female: (2020) 98%
GNI (U.S.$ ’000,000)(2023) 1,587,225
GNI per capita (U.S.$)(2023) 32,830
⁽¹⁾ Includes 58 indirectly elected seats. ⁽²⁾ The constitution states that “Castilian is the Spanish official language of the State,” but that “all other Spanish languages (including Euskera [Basque], Catalan, and Galician) will also be official in the corresponding autonomous communities.”

Introduction

Spain is a large country in southwestern Europe. It occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with its smaller neighbor Portugal. Spain’s capital is Madrid. Area 195,360 square miles (505,983 square kilometers). Population (2025 est.) 49,270,000.

Spain has had a greater influence on the rest of the world than have most countries. The lion’s share of the Western Hemisphere is known as Latin America. Most of its people speak Spanish or Portuguese and…