According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Gorbea spans an area of 694.5 km2 (268 sq mi) and has 15,222 inhabitants (7,609 men and 7,613 women). Of these, 9,413 (61.8%) lived in urban areas and 5,809 (38.2%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 3.9% (570 persons).[3]