Elevation of Bilbao, Spain
23ft
above sea level · 7 m
Bilbao is the capital of Bizkaia province, in the Basque Country, Spain. Of Spain’s 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities, it’s the 8th lowest.
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Key facts
- Coordinates
- 43.26° N · 2.92° W
- Degrees, minutes and seconds: 43° 15′ 51″ N · 2° 55′ 24″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 30T · 506,212 E · 4,790,159 N
- Zone 30 · ETRS89, the official datum on the mainland, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla
- Municipality
- Bilbao
- INE code 48020
- Time zone
- Central European Time
- UTC+1 · UTC+2 in summer
- Population (2025)
- 351,124 people
- 16.0 sq mi municipality · 21,998 people/sq mi
- Ground height (MDT05)
- 23 ft (7 m)
- What the IGN’s terrain model measures at this exact point. The official elevation is 23 ft.
Population
Bilbao had 351,124 residents on January 1, 2025, according to Spain’s municipal register (Padrón), 1.7% more than in 2015, when it had 345,141. The municipality covers 16.0 sq mi, a density of 21,998 people/sq mi, against a Spanish average of 251 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 113 municipalities in Bizkaia province, home to 30% of its people.
Compared with Spain’s other capitals
Bilbao sits 23 ft (7 m) above sea level. Of the 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities, the highest is Ávila, at 3,691 ft, and the lowest is Melilla, at 7 ft. The average is 1,152 ft, so Bilbao is 1,125 ft below it.
Among the 3 provincial capitals of the Basque Country, it’s the lowest. The others are Vitoria-Gasteiz (1,719 ft) and San Sebastián (26 ft).
The nearest capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz, 32 mi away in a straight line and 1,696 ft higher than Bilbao.
According to the IGN’s summit table, the highest point in Bizkaia province is Gorbeia, at 4,859 ft (1,481 m). It lies 17 mi away in a straight line, 4,836 ft above Bilbao.
- 45 Bilbao 23 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest capitals
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Bilbao.
What is the elevation of Bilbao, Spain?
Bilbao sits at 23 feet (7 meters) above sea level. That’s the official figure from Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN), measured at the reference point of the town center.
What are the coordinates of Bilbao?
Latitude 43.26422 and longitude -2.92346 in decimal degrees (43° 15′ 51″ N · 2° 55′ 24″ W). In UTM, zone 30: 506,212 E and 4,790,159 N, in the ETRS89 datum.
How does Bilbao rank among Spain’s highest capitals?
It’s the 8th lowest of the 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities. The highest is Ávila (3,691 ft) and the lowest, Melilla (7 ft).
Which is higher, Bilbao or Vitoria-Gasteiz?
Vitoria-Gasteiz. Bilbao sits at 23 ft and Vitoria-Gasteiz at 1,719 ft: a difference of 1,696 ft, 32 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height of a point above mean sea level. Mapping agencies such as Spain’s IGN measure it on the ground with leveling and survey-grade GPS. Maps read it from an elevation model, a grid with the ground height at every point, so the model can differ by a few meters from the official figure, especially on sharp summits.
Sources
- IGN · IGR Poblaciones (population centers) Official elevation and coordinates of the town center. CC BY 4.0 license.
- MDT05 Digital Terrain Model (IGN) Ground height at this exact point, to check the figure. 5 m grid, CC BY 4.0 license.
- Municipal register (INE), January 1, 2025 Population: our own work with data from the INE website (www.ine.es). Area: IGN (CC BY 4.0).
- Terrain Tiles (AWS Open Data) Hillshading on the map, from public data by USGS, NASA, Copernicus and others.
- OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The base map, with OpenStreetMap data (ODbL).
Reviewed October 31, 2026 · Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know