Ciutat Vella is the first of the ten districts that comprise the city of Barcelona. It consists of four areas, three of them in the historic centre (Raval, the Gothic Quarter and the districts of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and Ribera) and the district of Barceloneta, located on the sea front.

The whole district has a surface area of 4.2 sq km and a population of 111,518. The population density is therefore 26,392 inhabitants per sq km, a ratio that is considerably higher than the average density of Barcelona, with 15,825 inhabitants per sq km.

However, due to the fact that it comprises the central part of the city, the number of people that converge in this district every day is much higher than the number of residents. During the days of the year with the highest affluence of people, it is estimated that the Ciutat Vella district receives an influx of half a million people who visit the historic centre for work, commercial or cultural reasons or for tourism.