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Elevation

Elevation of Bilbao, Spain

7m

above sea level · 23 ft

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.

By the All Map Tools Team

Elevation profile

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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
Province and region
Bizkaia
Basque Country
Time zone
Central European Time
UTC+1 · UTC+2 in summer
Population (2025)
351,124 people
41.3 km² municipality · 8,494 people/km²
Ground height (MDT05)
7 m (23 ft)
What the IGN’s terrain model measures at this exact point. The official elevation is 7 m.

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 41.3 km², a density of 8,494 people/km², against a Spanish average of 97 people/km².

It’s the most populous of the 113 municipalities in Bizkaia province, home to 30% of its people.

About 1.56 million people live within 50 km of Bilbao, with 159 municipalities that have their main town inside. See what’s within 5, 10, 25, and 50 km.

Compared with Spain’s other capitals

Bilbao sits 7 m (23 ft) above sea level. Of the 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities, the highest is Ávila, at 1,125 m, and the lowest is Melilla, at 2 m. The average is 351 m, so Bilbao is 343 m below it.

Among the 3 provincial capitals of the Basque Country, it’s the lowest. The others are Vitoria-Gasteiz (524 m) and San Sebastián (8 m).

The nearest capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz, 51 km away in a straight line and 517 m higher than Bilbao.

According to the IGN’s summit table, the highest point in Bizkaia province is Gorbeia, at 1,481 m (4,859 ft). It lies 28 km away in a straight line, 1,474 m above Bilbao.

  1. 43 San Sebastián 8 m
  2. 44 Seville 8 m
  3. 45 Bilbao 7 m
  4. 46 A Coruña 6 m
  5. 47 Málaga 6 m

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest capitals

Distances from Bilbao

The 8 cities with a distance page from Bilbao: by road, as the crow flies, driving (or flight) time and the midpoint.

All distances between cities

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Bilbao and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare Bilbao’s elevation with any other point on the map. Map of Bizkaia province Every municipality on the map with its population, ready to print or download. What’s my elevation? Find out your elevation right now, from your location.

Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Bilbao.

What is the elevation of Bilbao, Spain?

Bilbao sits at 7 meters (23 feet) 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 (1,125 m) and the lowest, Melilla (2 m).

Which is higher, Bilbao or Vitoria-Gasteiz?

Vitoria-Gasteiz. Bilbao sits at 7 m and Vitoria-Gasteiz at 524 m: a difference of 517 m, 51 km 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).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know