ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data

Cartagena

Cartagena, a city in Spain, had a population of 220,704 at the start of 2025. For Cartagena, the foreign population count was 25,207 at the start of 2024. The unemployment rate was 15.1% in 2024.

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Higher unemployment than 97% of Spanish cities that publish it and dirtier air than 70% of Spanish cities that publish it.

Foreign residents25,207 peoplecity · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España.
Population220,704 peoplecity · Verified 2026-06-07Official source · Cartagena - official stats
Gigabit broadband availability95.833 %city · Verified 2026-07-15Official source · SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-2025
Unemployment rate15.1 %city · Verified 2026-07-26Official source · INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city
NO₂ — annual mean20 µg/m³nearest_station · Verified 2026-08-01Official source · EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station MOMPEAN)
PM10 — annual mean26 µg/m³nearest_station · Verified 2026-08-01Official source · EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station MOMPEAN)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-01

Who Cartagena may suit

Relative profile scores use comparable published values. They are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker59%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 45–73% from published values
Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 43–71% from published values
Student59%strong on cost, weak on healthcare · range 45–73% from published values
Family50%strong on family, weak on cost · range 36–64% from published values
Retirement54%strong on healthcare, weak on admin · range 40–68% from published values

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Cartagena residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport88.6%Foreign residents11.4%

Derived from the published population and foreign-resident counts.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Foreign residents25,207 people2026-07-152024Official sourceOfficial INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España. Source-backed value
Population220,704 people2026-06-07AgingOfficial sourceCartagena - official stats Source-backed value
Population over time20 published observations, 2001–2025
Population in Cartagena by year, residents181,805195,732209,658223,58520012003201020122014201620182020202220242025220,704residents

Population rose 19.5% between 2001 and 2025, from 184,686 to 220,704.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Foreign residents over time15 published observations, 2010–2024
Foreign residents in Cartagena by year, residents22,29525,09327,89130,6892010201220142016201820202022202425,207residents

Foreign residents fell 15.3% between 2010 and 2024, from 29,752 to 25,207.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in SpainWhere Cartagena lands among 1292 measured cities
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Spain per band7950–54175–104410–152315–20Cartagena 15.1%920–25425–30unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Spain per band

Published unemployment rates for cities in the same country.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Gigabit broadband availability95.833 %2026-07-15AgingOfficial sourceSETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-2025 Source-backed value
Unemployment rate15.1 %country median 4.4% — 242% above2026-07-262024Official sourceINE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city Source-backed value
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2015–2024
Unemployment rate in Cartagena by year, %14.2%18.6%23.0%27.3%20152017201920212023202415.1%%

Unemployment rate fell 42.9% between 2015 and 2024, from 26.4% to 15.1%.

Each point keeps the source and period it was published with.

Safety

Recorded crime across major citiesCartagena highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Cartagena highlighted22,472Prat de Llobregat, El12,657Adeje12,061Salou10,339Sant Josep de sa Talaia10,330Barcelona10,039Sitges9,868Sant Adrià de Besòs9,809Torrevieja9,577Roses9,334Cullera8,880Calvià4,578Cartagenarecorded incidents per 100k residents

Published values for cities using the same metric and unit.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents4,577.624 offences/100kcountry median 4,543 — about the same2026-07-262024Official sourceBalance de Criminalidad 2024 Q4 — III. Total infracciones penales, municipal rows Source-backed value

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 10.9 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Cartagena annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52510.9PM2.5154026.0PM10104020.0NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in SpainWhere Cartagena lands among 901 measured cities
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Spain per band63–4204–5485–6576–71097–81678–91099–1011310–11Cartagena 10.913511–128412–131313–143414–15116–17519–20annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Spain per band

Published annual means from the same national measurement network.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
NO₂ — annual mean20 µg/m³2026-08-012024Official sourceEEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station MOMPEAN) Source-backed value · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean26 µg/m³2026-08-012024Official sourceEEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station MOMPEAN) Source-backed value · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean10.9 µg/m³country median 9.0 — 21% above2026-07-292024Official sourceEEA City Trend — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair Source-backed value

Mobility and administration

Gigabit broadband availability was 95.8% in 2025.

MetricValueVerifiedSource
Nearest airportRMU code2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOurAirports — airports.csv Source-backed value
Distance to nearest airport25.5 km2026-06-13FreshOfficial sourceOurAirports — airports.csv Source-backed value

Worked out from these numbers

Arithmetic on the published values above. Each one names what it assumed.

How international is the population?

11.4% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 25,207 people of 220,704 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Cartagena?

The unemployment rate is 15.1 %. Source: INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by city, checked 2026-07-26.

Is the air quality good in Cartagena?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10.9 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is above the WHO guideline but within the EU limit. Source: EEA City Trend — Spain 2024 PM2.5 provenance repair, checked 2026-07-29.

How safe is Cartagena?

Police recorded 4,577.624 offences/100k. This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Balance de Criminalidad 2024 Q4 — III. Total infracciones penales, municipal rows, checked 2026-07-26.

How many people live in Cartagena?

The published population is 220,704 people. Source: Cartagena - official stats, checked 2026-06-07.

How many foreign residents live in Cartagena?

25,207 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España., checked 2026-07-15.

Cities of a similar size in Spain

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Spain cities
Oviedo223,968 residentsSabadell225,368 residentsMóstoles214,817 residentsJerez de la Frontera213,634 residentsSanta Cruz de Tenerife211,957 residentsBadalona231,542 residents

Sources

Official INE municipal population by country of nationality; foreign total derived as Total nationality minus España.Official source · Checked 2024-01-01Cartagena - official statsOfficial source · Checked 2026-07-14SETELECO Cobertura Banda Ancha España 2021-2025Official source · Checked 2025-06-30INE Urban Indicators — unemployment rate by cityOfficial source · Checked 2026-07-26EEA air quality statistics — ES NO2 annual mean 2024 (station MOMPEAN)Official source · Checked 2026-07-31EEA air quality statistics — ES PM10 annual mean 2024 (station MOMPEAN)Official source · Checked 2026-07-31

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.