

Jaén is aprovince in theautonomous community ofAndalusia, Spain. The province is divided into 97municipalities. As of the 2024[update] Spanish census, Jaén is the27th most populous of Spain's 50 provinces, with619,055 inhabitants,[1] and the 14th largest by land area, spanning 13,486.05 square kilometres (5,206.99 sq mi).[2][3] Municipalities are the most basic local political division in Spain[4] and can only belong to one province.[5] They enjoy a large degree of autonomy in theirlocal administration, being in charge of tasks such as urban planning,water supply, lighting,roads,local police, and firefighting.[6]
The organisation of municipalities in Spain is outlined by the local government lawLey 7/1985, de 2 de abril, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local (transl. Law 7/1985, of 2 April, Regulating the Bases of the Local Administration), which was passed by theCortes Generales—Spain’s national parliament—on 2 April 1985[7] and finalised byroyal decree on 18 April 1986.[8] Municipalities in Jaén are also governed by theStatute of Autonomy of Andalusia, which includes provisions concerning their relations withAndalusia's autonomous government.[9] All citizens of Spain are required to register in the municipality in which they reside.[10] Each municipality is a corporation[a] with independentlegal personhood: its governing body is called theayuntamiento (municipal council orcorporation),[12] a term often also used to refer to themunicipal offices (city and town halls). Theayuntamiento is composed of themayor (Spanish:alcalde), thedeputy mayors (tenientes de alcalde) and thecouncillors (concejales), who form the plenary (pleno), the deliberative body.[13] Municipalities are categorised by population for determining the number of councillors: three when the population is up to 100 inhabitants, five for 101–250, seven for 251–1,000, nine for 1,001–2,000, eleven for 2,001–5,000, thirteen for 5,001–10,000, seventeen for 10,001–20,000, twenty-one for 20,001–50,000, and twenty-five for 50,001–100,000. One councillor is added for every additional 100,000 inhabitants, with a further one included if the total would otherwise be even, to avoidtied votes.[14]
The mayor and the deputy mayors are elected by the plenary assembly, which is itself elected byuniversal suffrage.[15] Elections in municipalities with more than 250 inhabitants are carried out following aproportional representation system withclosed lists,[14] whilst those with a population lower than 250 use ablock plurality voting system withopen lists.[16] The plenary assembly must meet periodically, with meetings occurring more or less frequently depending on the population of the municipality: monthly for those whose population is larger than 20,000, once every two months if it ranges between 5,001 and 20,000, and once every three months if it does not exceed 5,000.[17] Manyayuntamientos also have a local governing board (Spanish:junta de gobierno local), which is appointed by the mayor from amongst the councillors and is required for municipalities of over 5,000 inhabitants.[13] The board, whose role is to assist the mayor between meetings of the plenary assembly, may not include more than one third of the councillors.[18]
The largest municipality by population in the province as of the 2024 Spanish census isJaén, its capital, with 111,945 residents, while the smallest isHinojares, with 349 residents.[19] The largest municipality by area isAndújar, which spans 963.60 square kilometres (372.05 sq mi), whileJamilena is the smallest at 8.99 square kilometres (3.47 sq mi).[2]
| Name | Population (2024 census)[19] | Population (2011 census)[20] | Population change | Land area (km²)[2] | Population density (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanchez de Mágina | 929 | 1,230 | −24.5% | 38.83 | 23.9/km2 |
| Alcalá la Real | 21,610 | 22,722 | −4.9% | 261.36 | 82.7/km2 |
| Alcaudete | 10,286 | 11,081 | −7.2% | 236.84 | 43.4/km2 |
| Aldeaquemada | 453 | 543 | −16.6% | 120.28 | 3.8/km2 |
| Andújar | 35,737 | 38,813 | −7.9% | 963.60 | 37.1/km2 |
| Arjona | 5,374 | 5,745 | −6.5% | 158.45 | 33.9/km2 |
| Arjonilla | 3,530 | 3,827 | −7.8% | 42.56 | 82.9/km2 |
| Arquillos | 1,685 | 1,961 | −14.1% | 65.98 | 25.5/km2 |
| Arroyo del Ojanco | 2,183 | 2,492 | −12.4% | 57.31 | 38.1/km2 |
| Baeza | 15,679 | 16,446 | −4.7% | 192.77 | 81.3/km2 |
| Bailén | 17,262 | 18,695 | −7.7% | 117.14 | 147.4/km2 |
| Baños de la Encina | 2,565 | 2,706 | −5.2% | 392.32 | 6.5/km2 |
| Beas de Segura | 4,974 | 5,776 | −13.9% | 159.37 | 31.2/km2 |
| Bedmar y Garcíez | 2,571 | 3,057 | −15.9% | 118.80 | 21.6/km2 |
| Begíjar | 2,947 | 3,130 | −5.8% | 42.79 | 68.9/km2 |
| Bélmez de la Moraleda | 1,509 | 1,752 | −13.9% | 49.44 | 30.5/km2 |
| Benatae | 428 | 550 | −22.2% | 44.46 | 9.6/km2 |
| Cabra del Santo Cristo | 1,649 | 2,027 | −18.6% | 187.03 | 8.8/km2 |
| Cambil | 2,631 | 2,888 | −8.9% | 139.88 | 18.8/km2 |
| Campillo de Arenas | 1,702 | 2,026 | −16.0% | 116.59 | 14.6/km2 |
| Canena | 1,754 | 2,089 | −16.0% | 14.36 | 122.1/km2 |
| Carboneros | 593 | 665 | −10.8% | 58.61 | 10.1/km2 |
| Cárcheles | 1,289 | 1,492 | −13.6% | 40.50 | 31.8/km2 |
| La Carolina | 14,709 | 15,882 | −7.4% | 201.37 | 73.0/km2 |
| Castellar | 3,154 | 3,525 | −10.5% | 157.36 | 20.0/km2 |
| Castillo de Locubín | 3,853 | 4,626 | −16.7% | 102.55 | 37.6/km2 |
| Cazalilla | 773 | 912 | −15.2% | 46.63 | 16.6/km2 |
| Cazorla | 7,004 | 7,941 | −11.8% | 305.40 | 22.9/km2 |
| Chiclana de Segura | 881 | 1,119 | −21.3% | 235.91 | 3.7/km2 |
| Chilluévar | 1,321 | 1,629 | −18.9% | 38.78 | 34.1/km2 |
| Escañuela | 902 | 982 | −8.1% | 13.75 | 65.6/km2 |
| Espeluy | 592 | 735 | −19.5% | 25.49 | 23.2/km2 |
| Frailes | 1,551 | 1,706 | −9.1% | 40.34 | 38.4/km2 |
| Fuensanta de Martos | 3,014 | 3,223 | −6.5% | 54.04 | 55.8/km2 |
| Fuerte del Rey | 1,341 | 1,397 | −4.0% | 35.09 | 38.2/km2 |
| Génave | 551 | 629 | −12.4% | 63.58 | 8.7/km2 |
| La Guardia de Jaén | 5,244 | 4,505 | +16.4% | 38.43 | 136.5/km2 |
| Guarromán | 2,758 | 2,917 | −5.5% | 96.21 | 28.7/km2 |
| Higuera de Calatrava | 590 | 642 | −8.1% | 38.76 | 15.2/km2 |
| Hinojares | 349 | 436 | −20.0% | 40.04 | 8.7/km2 |
| Hornos | 579 | 679 | −14.7% | 117.58 | 4.9/km2 |
| Huelma | 5,521 | 6,152 | −10.3% | 250.29 | 22.1/km2 |
| Huesa | 2,417 | 2,652 | −8.9% | 138.43 | 17.5/km2 |
| Ibros | 2,767 | 3,050 | −9.3% | 56.00 | 49.4/km2 |
| La Iruela | 1,861 | 2,094 | −11.1% | 123.97 | 15.0/km2 |
| Iznatoraf | 880 | 1,079 | −18.4% | 86.54 | 10.2/km2 |
| Jabalquinto | 1,964 | 2,332 | −15.8% | 73.24 | 26.8/km2 |
| Jaén† | 111,945 | 116,469 | −3.9% | 424.23 | 263.9/km2 |
| Jamilena | 3,300 | 3,478 | −5.1% | 8.99 | 367.1/km2 |
| Jimena | 1,240 | 1,401 | −11.5% | 48.04 | 25.8/km2 |
| Jódar | 11,362 | 12,090 | −6.0% | 148.78 | 76.4/km2 |
| Lahiguera | 1,589 | 1,854 | −14.3% | 44.75 | 35.5/km2 |
| Larva | 440 | 489 | −10.0% | 41.76 | 10.5/km2 |
| Linares | 55,303 | 60,799 | −9.0% | 196.70 | 281.2/km2 |
| Lopera | 3,539 | 3,886 | −8.9% | 67.91 | 52.1/km2 |
| Lupión | 804 | 961 | −16.3% | 24.33 | 33.0/km2 |
| Mancha Real | 11,382 | 11,254 | +1.1% | 97.70 | 116.5/km2 |
| Marmolejo | 6,521 | 7,346 | −11.2% | 178.12 | 36.6/km2 |
| Martos | 24,423 | 24,457 | −0.1% | 261.10 | 93.5/km2 |
| Mengíbar | 10,035 | 9,826 | +2.1% | 62.34 | 161.0/km2 |
| Montizón | 1,525 | 1,891 | −19.4% | 211.98 | 7.2/km2 |
| Navas de San Juan | 4,419 | 4,959 | −10.9% | 175.91 | 25.1/km2 |
| Noalejo | 1,795 | 2,077 | −13.6% | 49.96 | 35.9/km2 |
| Orcera | 1,715 | 1,987 | −13.7% | 126.30 | 13.6/km2 |
| Peal de Becerro | 5,272 | 5,550 | −5.0% | 147.36 | 35.8/km2 |
| Pegalajar | 2,832 | 3,081 | −8.1% | 79.95 | 35.4/km2 |
| Porcuna | 5,900 | 6,798 | −13.2% | 175.57 | 33.6/km2 |
| Pozo Alcón | 4,583 | 5,245 | −12.6% | 138.61 | 33.1/km2 |
| Puente de Génave | 2,180 | 2,279 | −4.3% | 38.84 | 56.1/km2 |
| La Puerta de Segura | 2,245 | 2,617 | −14.2% | 97.45 | 23.0/km2 |
| Quesada | 4,950 | 5,875 | −15.7% | 328.35 | 15.1/km2 |
| Rus | 3,412 | 3,775 | −9.6% | 46.89 | 72.8/km2 |
| Sabiote | 3,780 | 4,207 | −10.1% | 111.94 | 33.8/km2 |
| Santa Elena | 868 | 982 | −11.6% | 145.48 | 6.0/km2 |
| Santiago-Pontones | 2,700 | 3,572 | −24.4% | 682.34 | 4.0/km2 |
| Santiago de Calatrava | 672 | 819 | −17.9% | 47.54 | 14.1/km2 |
| Santisteban del Puerto | 4,455 | 4,779 | −6.8% | 372.89 | 11.9/km2 |
| Santo Tomé | 2,071 | 2,532 | −18.2% | 73.48 | 28.2/km2 |
| Segura de la Sierra | 1,685 | 1,948 | −13.5% | 224.87 | 7.5/km2 |
| Siles | 2,108 | 2,418 | −12.8% | 176.12 | 12.0/km2 |
| Sorihuela del Guadalimar | 1,036 | 1,324 | −21.8% | 55.31 | 18.7/km2 |
| Torreblascopedro | 2,404 | 2,799 | −14.1% | 61.43 | 39.1/km2 |
| Torredelcampo | 13,937 | 14,654 | −4.9% | 182.16 | 76.5/km2 |
| Torredonjimeno | 13,258 | 14,107 | −6.0% | 157.78 | 84.0/km2 |
| Torreperogil | 7,115 | 7,673 | −7.3% | 90.94 | 78.2/km2 |
| Torres | 1,348 | 1,620 | −16.8% | 80.04 | 16.8/km2 |
| Torres de Albánchez | 743 | 949 | −21.7% | 57.89 | 12.8/km2 |
| Úbeda | 33,665 | 35,622 | −5.5% | 403.92 | 83.3/km2 |
| Valdepeñas de Jaén | 3,554 | 4,091 | −13.1% | 183.79 | 19.3/km2 |
| Vilches | 4,213 | 4,822 | −12.6% | 273.38 | 15.4/km2 |
| Villacarrillo | 10,329 | 11,311 | −8.7% | 239.55 | 43.1/km2 |
| Villanueva de la Reina | 2,965 | 3,361 | −11.8% | 209.26 | 14.2/km2 |
| Villanueva del Arzobispo | 7,779 | 8,909 | −12.7% | 177.81 | 43.7/km2 |
| Villardompardo | 924 | 1,094 | −15.5% | 17.47 | 52.9/km2 |
| Los Villares | 6,083 | 5,935 | +2.5% | 88.61 | 68.6/km2 |
| Villarrodrigo | 394 | 455 | −13.4% | 78.39 | 5.0/km2 |
| Villatorres | 4,272 | 4,498 | −5.0% | 72.68 | 58.8/km2 |
| Province of Jaén | 619,055[21] | 667,484[22] | −7.3% | 13,486.05 | 45.9/km2 |
| Andalusia | 8,631,862[21] | 8,371,270[22] | +3.1% | 87,587.59 | 98.6/km2 |
| Spain | 48,619,695[21] | 46,815,916[22] | +3.9% | 504,755.17 | 96.3/km2 |