A demographic bomb that has put an end to the quality of life in the Islands

Palm"A population bomb"—that's how experts like Pere Salvà, retired professor of Human Geography at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), describe the population growth experienced by the Balearic Islands in the last 25 years. The cause of this phenomenon is simple: migration. Islanders are having fewer and fewer children. In fact, the arrival of migrants has not been able to reverse the aging of the population. However, an increase of this magnitude in a limited territory has profoundly affected the quality of life of residents, who, in addition to a loss of purchasing power, find it almost impossible to access housing these days. In 2000, the Balearic Islands had around 800,000 inhabitants, and 25 years later, that number exceeds 1.2 million. Never before, in such a short time, have the Islands experienced such an intense, rapid, and profound demographic transformation. "It's a very significant increase, similar to that of the 1960s and 70s worldwide," explains Salvà, also noting that more than 80% of the population increase is due to net migration, a percentage that rises to 99% when analyzing the last seven years.

Migration, a matter of class

The migrants who have arrived in the Balearic Islands over this period are also shaped by social class. On the one hand, the Islands have welcomed high-income European citizens: while the 1980s and 90s saw a migration of retirees, later it was professionals who could maintain ties to their countries of origin through employment. On the other hand, the island's labor market has absorbed a large amount of unskilled labor to meet the needs of the service and construction sectors. "These are sectors that require little training," says Macià Blázquez, Professor of Geography at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), who emphasizes that "the magnetism of migration lies in inequality." "The problem is not the number [of migrants] but the inequality," he adds. Furthermore, the arrival of irregular migrants by sea has increased significantly, although the airport remains the main entry point for undocumented individuals. The consolidation of the Algerian route, the most dangerous in the Mediterranean, has allowed people to reach the Canary Islands not only from North Africa, but also sub-Saharan migrants from countries such as Senegal, Mali, and Somalia. What began in 2018 as a trickle of people is now one of the main entry points to Europe, with hundreds of fatalities—according to the NGO Caminando Fronteras, more than 320 people have died trying to reach the islands. Even so, the aging of the islands' population has not slowed down in the last 25 years and does not appear likely to do so in the near future. The housing situation in the islands means that more migrants prefer to come alone, without their families. "Older adults are also arriving," Salvà points out, "as well as women who come to care for the elderly, a profession with a future."

During this time, there have been two periods in which immigration increased more moderately: during the housing crisis of 2008-2013 and in the years 2020-2021, those of the coronavirus pandemic. "The trend was very high, almost vertical, and in these two periods it stabilized somewhat. But there was no significant decrease in the number of people. The curve does not reflect a downward trend," explains Salvà. The pandemic intensified the phenomenon of remote work, and the Islands reinforced their attractiveness as a place to live, beyond just working during the tourist season.

Islanders have also emigrated

Regarding the emigration of islanders to other countries, Salvá emphasizes that it's not so much a question of quantity as of quality. "It affects a significant group because well-educated people who have no prospects here have left and continue to leave," he continues. The reason? Again, the Balearic Islands' economic structure, which prioritizes low-skilled jobs, a problem that neither progressive nor PP governments have been able to alleviate. Thus, Salvá points out that an average of 3,000 people leave the Islands each year in search of job opportunities and economic conditions commensurate with their academic qualifications. And many of them only return for a few weeks of vacation.