50% of residents in the Balearic Islands were not born on the Islands

PalmaThe Balearic Islands continue to transform demographically. Almost half of the resident population of the Archipelago was born outside the Islands, either in another autonomous community or abroad, according to the Report on the Economy, Work and Society of the Balearic Islands 2025, prepared by the Economic and Social Council (CES). The report also warns that sustained population growth exacerbates challenges such as access to housing, pressure on public services, and the aging of society.

Specifically, 49% of residents were not born in the Balearic Islands, while 51% were born in the Islands. Within the first group, 59% come from foreign countries and the remaining 41% from other autonomous communities.

International immigration continues to play a decisive role in this demographic evolution. Among the foreign-born population, the largest group comes from Colombia, followed by citizens from Morocco, Argentina, and Germany. In fact, the Balearic Islands are the autonomous community with the highest percentage of population born outside of Spain, with 28.7%, almost ten points above the state average, which stands at 19%.

Historic population peak

The Report notes that the Balearic Islands reached a new demographic record in 2025 with 1,249,844 inhabitants, 1.5% more than the previous year. Compared to the year 2000, the population has grown by 47.8%, that is, by more than 404,000 people in just 25 years.

During the presentation of the report to Parliament, the president of the CES, Francesc Fiol, warned that this sustained increase forces administrations to strengthen the planning of public infrastructures and services, especially in areas such as health, education, and mobility.

Housing, the main bottleneck

The report once again places housing as one of the main structural problems in the Islands. The Balearic Islands maintain the highest average price of urban land in the entire State, at 401 euros per square meter, more than double the Spanish average, set at 173 euros. They also lead rental prices.

The difficulties in accessing housing continue to increase. According to CES calculations, a Balearic household that dedicates 30% of its income to buying a home would need 61.4 years to pay it off, while the Spanish average is 30.6 years.

Furthermore, 14.5% of households in the Balearic Islands dedicate more than 40% of their income to housing payments, the highest percentage in Spain. This situation is especially serious among young people, single-parent families, and the migrant population from countries outside the European Union.

An increasingly aging population

The Report also points out the progressive aging of the Balearic population. In 2025, the highest aging index in the history of the Islands was recorded: for every 100 people under 16 years old, there were 117 people over 65 years old, whereas in 2021 this ratio was practically balanced.

The differences are also significant according to sex. Among women, the aging index reaches 133.7 older people for every 100 young people, while among men it is 101.8.

Tourism continues to break records

Tourist activity maintained its upward trend during 2025. The Balearic Islands received 19.1 million tourists, 1.8% more than the previous year, although the average stay decreased by 0.9%.

On the other hand, tourism spending again marked a historic high of 23,403 million euros. Each visitor spent an average of 1,228 euros during their holidays, 2.9% more than in 2024, while daily spending stood at 197 euros.

The report also highlights that tourism growth is increasingly concentrated in the mid and low seasons, as well as in four and five-star hotel establishments.

Finally, human pressure reached its peak in August, with 2,005,000 people simultaneously present in the Islands, a figure slightly lower than that recorded last summer.