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A second relevant spatial contrast is the uneven ratio of the population living in rural municipalities to those living in urban municipalities. The threshold used for setting the difference between rural and urban municipalities is the one set out in the Rural Development Act from 2007 which considers rural municipalities to be those with less than 5,000 inhabitants (see the map on Rural population). There are 5,690,617 inhabitants living in 6,837 rural municipalities across the country. This means 12% of the total population and 84% of the total amount of municipalities. The spatial contrast is, however, in this case not as intense as in the spatial distribution of the population described before. It may be observed that there is less rural population in the hinterland than along the coast in absolute terms. Nevertheless, in relative terms, the percentage of rural population in relation to the total population of each province is higher in the hinterland than along the coast. Galicia stands out for its uniqueness in registering high figures in both absolute and relative terms. It shall be borne in mind, however, that the criterion used for considering the population rural or urban is merely quantitative or statistical, not qualitative or functional. Therefore, some municipalities have been considered rural even though most of the inhabitants may be in fact related to the industry or the service sector. This is the case in many municipalities in tourist areas and in peri-urban regions.
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[[File:Logo Monografía.jpg|centerleft|thumb|300px|Map: Rural population. 2020. España. [ PDF]. [ Datos]. [ interactiva].]]
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[[File:Logo Monografía.jpg|centerleft|thumb|300px|Map: Urban macrocephaly. 2020. Spain. [ PDF]. [ Datos]. Versiones interactivas [] ]]
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Three noteworthy facts may be observed on the map on [[File:| ''Urban macrocephaly'']]. In the first place, the coast from western Andalusia (Andalucía) to Catalonia (Catalunya/Cataluña) is well traced and a moderate dominance of major towns with a large amount of inhabitants is shown in this area. To a lesser extent, the Atlantic coast in Galicia, the northern coast, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands are also well outlined. In the hinterland, however, only Madrid, Valladolid and Saragossa (Zaragoza) stand out. Secondly, there is a sharp contrast between the Northern Plateau and the Southern Plateau as the presence of major towns with a larger amount of inhabitants is more significant in the former. Finally, it shall be noted that the weight of the municipality with most residents on the total population of each province is more significant in the northern half of the Spanish hinterland as well as in Madrid than in the rest of the country. It is also worthy of mention that the municipality with most residents within each province is the capital town of the province except for three cases out of fifty, i.e. Pontevedra, Asturias and Cádiz, where Vigo, Gijón/Xixón and Jerez de la Frontera are the largest towns in these provinces.
A second relevant spatial contrast is the uneven ratio of the population living in rural municipalities to those living in urban municipalities. The threshold used for setting the difference between rural and urban municipalities is the one set out in the Rural Development Act from 2007 which considers rural municipalities to be those with less than 5,000 inhabitants (see the map on Rural population). There are 5,690,617 inhabitants living in 6,837 rural municipalities across the country. This means 12% of the total population and 84% of the total amount of municipalities. The spatial contrast is, however, in this case not as intense as in the spatial distribution of the population described before. It may be observed that there is less rural population in the hinterland than along the coast in absolute terms. Nevertheless, in relative terms, the percentage of rural population in relation to the total population of each province is higher in the hinterland than along the coast. Galicia stands out for its uniqueness in registering high figures in both absolute and relative terms. It shall be borne in mind, however, that the criterion used for considering the population rural or urban is merely quantitative or statistical, not qualitative or functional. Therefore, some municipalities have been considered rural even though most of the inhabitants may be in fact related to the industry or the service sector. This is the case in many municipalities in tourist areas and in peri-urban regions.
