What is the capital of Spain?
Madrid stands on the Manzanares river on a plateau in the centre of Spain, at about 660 metres, making it one of the highest capital cities in Europe.
Madrid is the capital and seat of government of Spain, a role it has held since 1561. Spain itself has an estimated population of 49,355,143 (2025).
Madrid is also the largest city in Spain, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Madrid at a glance
| City population | 3,477,497 (2025) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 6,800,000 (2025 estimate) |
| Country | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| Capital since | 1561 |
| Largest city in Spain | Madrid |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
About Madrid
Madrid has been the capital of Spain since 1561, when King Philip II moved his court to Madrid, making the city the permanent seat of the Spanish government.
Madrid is Spain's largest city and the political, financial and cultural centre of the country.
It lies almost exactly at the geographic centre of Spain, from which the country's radial network of roads is measured.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Madrid.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Spain?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Spain on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.