Barcelona vs Madrid

A tale of two cities: comparing urban vegetation in Spain's largest metros

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Photos: dronepicr (Barcelona) | Jorge Castro Ruso (Madrid) | CC BY-SA, via Wikimedia Commons

Two Cities, Different Greens

Madrid and Barcelona are Spain's two largest cities, both Mediterranean metropolises with millions of residents. But when it comes to urban vegetation, they tell very different stories.

Using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from summer 2024, we analyzed the vegetation coverage in both cities. The results might surprise you.

Metropolitan Areas

Madrid Metro (20 cities)

Barcelona Metro (12 cities)

The Numbers

Vegetation Coverage
Barcelona 10.7%
Madrid 3.3%
City Area
Madrid 603 km²
Barcelona 99 km²
Population
Madrid 3.26M
Barcelona 1.62M
3x

Barcelona has three times the vegetation coverage of Madrid by percentage. But Madrid is six times larger in area.

Green Area per 1,000 Residents

When we calculate the actual green area and divide by population, a different picture emerges.

6.1 m²
Madrid
6.5 m²
Barcelona

Context Matters

Barcelona's city limits are tightly drawn around its dense urban core, pressed between the mountains and the sea. Madrid's boundaries extend far into surrounding areas, including large parks like Casa de Campo.

This doesn't diminish Barcelona's achievement - maintaining over 10% vegetation in one of Europe's densest cities is remarkable. But it reminds us that comparing cities requires understanding their unique geographies.

The Greenest Suburbs

Some satellite cities far outperform their metropolitan centers. In the Barcelona area, Sant Cugat del Valles leads with an impressive 29% vegetation coverage - nearly three times Barcelona proper.

Explore Sant Cugat
Photo: alvaro jaramillo | CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Greenest Cities by Metro Area

29%

Sant Cugat del Valles (Barcelona metro) has the highest vegetation coverage of any city in our dataset - nearly 6x higher than Madrid's city center.

The Takeaway

Both cities face the challenge of maintaining green spaces in growing urban areas. Barcelona shows that density and greenery can coexist. Madrid's larger footprint offers different opportunities for urban forests and parks.