población
/poblaˈθjon/feminine
The English phrase "population" is translated into Spanish as población.
población refers to all people living within a political or geographical boundary.
Meaning: all people living within a political or geographical boundary (noun)
Which one should you use?
When you want to be specific about the total population, you can use la población total. For the formal term for "world population", use la población mundial.
How does it change in a sentence?
población is a feminine noun. The plural form is poblaciones.
How do you pronounce it?
/poblaˈθjon/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because "population" is often treated as a neutral concept in English, speakers may mistakenly use the masculine article el. However, in Spanish, you must always use the feminine article la with población.
Did you know?
- In Spanish demographics, población flotante refers to a 'floating population' of people who are present in a city for work or tourism but do not live there permanently.
- In Spanish, the word población can also refer to a 'settlement' or a specific 'village' rather than just the total count of inhabitants.
- If you want to talk about the 'population' of a country in a way that refers to its 'citizenship' or 'people' as a political entity, you might use the word pueblo instead.
Examples in context
- La población está aumentando.The population is increasing.This sentence shows how to use población to describe a population that is increasing.Tatoeba #5427177 by Omnivoro, translation #270349 by CK
- ¿Cuál es la población de Italia?What is the population of Italy?This sentence uses población to ask about the population of a specific country.Tatoeba #10021541 by manufrutos, translation #7075646 by Hybrid
- ¿Cuál es la población de Australia?What's the population of Australia?Tatoeba #5755770 by arh, translation #2712819 by CK
- La población de España ha aumentado en los últimos años.The population of Spain has increased in recent years.
- El estudio analiza la población en riesgo de pobreza.The study analyzes the population at risk of poverty.
- El gobierno está tomando medidas para mejorar la calidad de vida de la población total.The government is taking measures to improve the quality of life for the total population.
- La sobrepoblación es uno de los mayores desafíos que enfrenta la población mundial.Overpopulation is one of the biggest challenges facing the world population.
- 86 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are discussing a news report about urban development.
- SofíaJavier, ¿viste el informe sobre la población?Javier, did you see the report about the population?
- JavierSí, Sofía, la población es enorme.Yes, Sofía, the population is enormous.
- SofíaEs cierto, la población necesita más servicios.It's true, the population needs more services.
- JavierTienes razón, hay que mejorar la infraestructura.You are right, we must improve the infrastructure.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “population” translations and entries población, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
