Spain now has 2,000 mosques, twice as many as in 2011

The number of mosques in Spain has almost doubled in fourteen years, from just over 1,000 in 2011 to nearly 2,000 today, according to data from the Observatory of Religious Pluralism. This growth reflects both the increase in the Muslim population – made up of newcomers and Spanish citizens of Islamic faith – and the consolidation of communities established for several decades.

Muslim places of worship are mainly concentrated in Catalonia, Andalusia, the Valencian Community and Madrid, which account for almost 60% of the total. Barcelona comes first, followed by Madrid and Murcia. Conversely, Cantabria, a small green region in the north of the country bordered by the Cantabrian Sea, has only six mosques, making it the area with the lowest Muslim presence in Spain.

This expansion can also be explained by the progressive normalization of the Muslim presence in the Spanish public space. In many cities, mosques are now part of the urban landscape alongside other places of worship, a sign of a more diverse society and increasingly accepted religious pluralism.

However, evangelical churches remain the main minority denomination in the country, with nearly 3,000 places of worship. Jehovah’s Witnesses have more than 700 Kingdom Halls spread throughout the country. This panorama illustrates a growing religious pluralism: Spain today has more than 8,000 non-Catholic places of worship, compared to 5,000 in 2011, testifying to an ever more visible spiritual diversity in Spanish society.