Málaga Population 2026 — Spain

Quick facts

GeoNames · UN WPP

Population

592,346

city proper · GeoNames

Rank in Spain

#6 of 55

largest cities tracked

World rank

#913

of 5,279 cities ≥ 100k

Region

Andalusia

first-level division

Status

District seat

Elevation

22 m

above sea level

Time zone

UTC+2

Europe/Madrid

Coordinates

36.72°N 4.42°W

Share of country

1.2%

of 47.84M people

Málaga overview

Updated October 2026

Málaga (orange) and the other large cities of Spain

Málaga lies in Andalusia in Spain at 36.72°N, 4.42°W, about 22 m above sea level. The local time zone is Europe/Madrid (UTC+2); GeoNames classifies it as a district seat.

It is smaller than Sevilla (686,741) and larger than Murcia (471,982). The largest city in Spain is Madrid with 3,255,944 people; the capital, Madrid, has 3,255,944.

The national capital, Madrid, is about 416 km away; the nearest large city is Marbella, 47 km from Málaga.

Spain as a whole has a live population of 47,837,168 (-0.1% a year) and ranks #32 of 238 countries — see the Spain population page for the full statistics and the Spain atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.

Cities near Málaga

Within 200 km · straight-line distance

City	Distance	Population
Marbella Andalusia	47 km	156,295
Granada Andalusia	89 km	233,532
Algeciras Andalusia	113 km	121,414
Jaén Andalusia	129 km	113,457
Córdoba Andalusia	134 km	325,708
Dos Hermanas Andalusia	147 km	122,943
Jerez de la Frontera Andalusia	153 km	212,879
Sevilla Andalusia	156 km	686,741

Largest cities in Spain

Top 10 · all 55 →

#	City	Region	Population
1	MadridCapital	Madrid	3,255,944
2	Barcelona	Catalonia	1,686,208
3	Valencia	Valencia	824,340
4	Zaragoza	Aragon	686,986
5	Sevilla	Andalusia	686,741
6	Málaga	Andalusia	592,346
7	Murcia	Murcia	471,982
8	Palma	Balearic Islands	438,234
9	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	Canary Islands	383,516
10	Alicante	Valencia	348,901

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Málaga?

Málaga has about 592,346 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.

Is Málaga the capital of Spain?

No. The capital of Spain is Madrid (3,255,944 people), about 416 km away. Málaga is the 6th largest city of the country and a district seat.

How big is Málaga compared with the rest of Spain?

Its 592,346 residents are 1.2% of the 47,837,168 people living in Spain today. Madrid is larger with 3,255,944 people.

Where is Málaga?

In Andalusia, Spain, at latitude 36.72 and longitude -4.42, 22 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Marbella (47 km), Granada (89 km), Algeciras (113 km).

Explore more

📊 Spain population & statistics 🗺️ Spain atlas 🏙️ All cities in Spain 🌍 Largest cities in the world

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APA

Glostats. (2026). Málaga Population 2026 — Spain. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/spain/malaga/

HTML<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/spain/malaga/">Málaga Population 2026 — Spain</a> — Glostats

Figures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.

City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.