Spain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, covers most of the Iberian Peninsula in Southern and Western Europe, together with the Canary and Balearic Islands and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa. It is the largest country in Southern Europe and the fourth most populous member of the European Union. Madrid is the capital and largest city, followed by urban areas such as Barcelona, Valencia and Seville.

Ipsos places Spain No. 9 in its Happiness Index 2026, a survey of 29 countries. In the World Happiness Report 2026 Spain is 41st with a score of 6.540, up from 6.466 a year earlier, according to Statbase, which notes a second consecutive year of growth.

The peninsula was home to Iberians and Celts before Rome made it the province of Hispania; Visigoths and then the Umayyads followed, and Al-Andalus, centred on Córdoba, became a major intellectual power. The Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939 and the Franco dictatorship that lasted until 1975 marked the 20th century. Today Spain is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy with King Felipe VI as head of state, and its economy is the fourth-largest in the EU.

Sources of this text: Wikipedia · Ipsos · Happier Lives Institute · Statbase