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The loudest cities in Spain, ranked by noise exposure

19 Spain cities make the measured EEA ranking. Vigo leads with exposed-resident Lden of 55–70 dB, while half the country's ranked cities fall at or below Lden 60 dB.

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Spain agglomerations ranked by measured Lden transport-noise exposure (EU Environmental Noise Directive, 2022 round)
Spain # City Europe # Lden Lnight Source Population
1 Vigo 16 55–70 50–65 Road 291,082
2 San Sebastian - Donostia 33 55–70 50–60 Road 178,446
3 Valencia 63 55–75 50–65 Road 795,736
4 Alcobendas 104 55–70 50–60 Road 117,040
5 Vitoria - Gazteiz 117 55–70 50–60 Road 244,420
6 Bilbao 132 55–70 50–60 Road 345,910
7 Oviedo 133 55–70 50–60 Road 222,936
8 Castellon de la Plana 212 55–65 50–60 Road 174,264
9 Madrid 219 55–70 50–60 Road 3,334,730
10 Pamplona 231 50–70 50–60 Road 335,350
11 Logrono 251 45–70 40–60 Road 150,808
12 Leon 277 45–65 40–55 Road 125,163
13 Valladolid 285 45–65 40–60 Road 298,412
14 Leganes 288 45–65 40–60 Road 192,827
15 Dos Hermanas 290 45–65 40–60 Road 133,968
16 Getafe 300 45–65 40–60 Road 192,601
17 Fuenlabrada 305 45–65 40–55 Road 193,700
18 Gijon 307 45–65 40–55 Road, Rail 274,068
19 Torrejon de Ardoz 314 45–60 40–55 Road 131,376

Spain's 19 ranked cities are home to 7,732,837 residents. By exposed-resident Lden the field reads Vigo (55–70 dB), San Sebastian - Donostia (55–70 dB), Valencia (55–75 dB), Alcobendas (55–70 dB), Vitoria - Gazteiz (55–70 dB), Bilbao (55–70 dB), Oviedo (55–70 dB), Castellon de la Plana (55–65 dB), then 11 more, ending at Torrejon de Ardoz (45–60 dB). The median lands near Lden 60 dB. Road traffic is the dominant source in all 19. The most populous, Madrid at 3,334,730 residents, ranks #219 across Europe with exposed-resident Lden of 55–70 dB. The WHO road-traffic guideline is 53 dB Lden by day and 45 dB Lnight at night, which most of these Spain cities exceed for their noise-exposed residents.

The figures come straight from the country's END strategic noise maps and the EEA's harmonised 2022 dataset — day-evening-night (Lden) exposure for the noise-affected population only. Lnight, the night-time figure, is the level most closely tied to sleep disturbance, which is why the EU reports it separately from the daytime Lden. Open any Spain city below for its full figures, then measure your own street with the free live meter.

Which Spain cities are the noisiest?

By this EEA data the noisiest Spain cities are the same as the loudest, since "noisiest" here means measured road, rail, aircraft and industrial exposure: Vigo, San Sebastian - Donostia, Valencia top the list, led by Vigo at Lden 55–70 dB (road traffic). The full ranking is in the table above.

Spain noise: the numbers

  • 19 Spain agglomerations are in the measured European ranking — 6th-most of any country here.
  • Loudest: Vigo at exposed-resident Lden 55–70 dB (European #16).
  • Quietest ranked: Torrejon de Ardoz at Lden 45–60 dB; median near Lden 60 dB.
  • Road traffic is the dominant source in 19 of the 19.
  • Combined population of the 19: 7,732,837.

How this ranking is measured

These are the same measurements behind the European ranking of all 314 cities — the EU Environmental Noise Directive strategic noise maps (road, rail, aircraft and industry), 2022 reporting round, harmonised by the European Environment Agency, with no estimation by us. Lden is the annual-average day-evening-night level; only residents above the 55 dB Lden threshold are reported, so the ranges describe the noise-exposed population.

How loud is your street?

Rankings describe city-wide exposure — your block is its own story. Check it with the free online decibel meter, or open any city above for its full figures.

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