In Girona province, almost eight in ten municipalities are classed as rural or sparsely populated, according to new data from the Institute of Statistics of Catalonia, Idescat. The figure covers 174 of the 221 municipalities in the province, or 78.7%, using last year’s urbanisation degree classification.
The data points to a clear demographic imbalance across the Girona counties. Population and activity are concentrated in county capitals, main urban centres and much of the coastline, while many inland areas remain low-density. For more local coverage, see our news page.
The classification is not based only on population size. It also takes account of how people are spread across the territory. That means some larger municipalities, or places with dispersed settlements, can still be classed as rural or sparsely populated even if they have economic or tourist activity. Even so, the overall picture is clear, rurality remains the dominant category by number of municipalities.
Alt Empordà has the largest number of rural or sparsely populated municipalities, with 62. The county includes many small inland towns and villages around the Empordà plain, such as Agullana, Albanyà, Bàscara, Cistella, Darnius, Espolla, Lladó, Navata, Pontós, Rabós, Sant Climent Sescebes, la Vajol and Vilamaniscle. It also includes denser centres such as Figueres, which is classed as an urban centre, and coastal or tourist municipalities including Roses, l'Escala and Castelló d'Empúries, which are listed as semi-dense areas.
Baix Empordà is next, with 25 rural or sparsely populated municipalities, including Albons, Bellcaire d'Empordà, Corçà, Cruïlles, Monells i Sant Sadurní de l'Heura, Foixà, Jafre, la Pera, Parlavà, Rupià, Ultramort, Verges and Vilopriu. The coast shows a different pattern, with Palafrugell, Palamós, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Calonge i Sant Antoni, Castell d'Aro, Platja d'Aro i s'Agaró, Torroella de Montgrí and Santa Cristina d'Aro listed as semi-dense rather than rural.
La Garrotxa and Ripollès also stand out for their high level of rurality. In La Garrotxa, 20 of the 21 municipalities are rural or sparsely populated, with only Olot outside that category. In Ripollès, 18 of the 19 municipalities are in the same group, while Ripoll is the only semi-dense municipality. In the Girona part of Cerdanya, 10 of the 11 municipalities are rural or sparsely populated, with Puigcerdà classed as semi-dense. In Pla de l'Estany, the rural category includes seven municipalities, among them Crespià, Esponellà, Fontcoberta, Palol de Revardit, Sant Miquel de Campmajor, Serinyà and Vilademuls.
The pattern is different in Gironès and Selva, where the presence of Girona city, the metropolitan area and other urban centres reduces the share of rural municipalities. In Gironès, 17 municipalities are sparsely populated, including Aiguaviva, Bescanó, Canet d'Adri, Cervià de Ter, Flaçà, Llambilles, Madremanya, Sant Gregori, Sant Martí de Llémena and Viladasens. Girona and Salt are classed as urban centres, while Cassà de la Selva, Celrà, Llagostera, Quart, Sarrià de Ter, Sant Julià de Ramis and Vilablareix are semi-dense areas.
