The Balearics reach 1.86 million people and break the record for human pressure in a May
The maximum demographic load grows by 2% in one year and the monthly average climbs to 1.76 million people
PalmaThe Balearic Islands continue to move towards an increasingly intense and long tourist season. The archipelago reached a concentration of 1.86 million people in May, the highest figure ever recorded for this month, according to data from the Human Pressure Index (IPH) of the Institute of Statistics of the Balearic Islands (Ibestat).
The peak was reached on May 29, with 36,316 more people than at the peak of the same month in 2025. This represents an interannual increase of 1.99%. The data does not correspond only to residents or tourists, but estimates the real demographic load that the territory bears each day by summing the resident and floating population.
The pressure is not limited, however, to a specific day. The monthly average stood at 1.76 million people, 3.31% more than in May of last year. In absolute terms, this is an average of 56,516 more people each day. Even the monthly minimum grew: on the day with the least pressure, 1.66 million people were counted, 1.57% more than the previous year.
By islands, Mallorca registered its peak on May 29, when it reached 1.39 million people. In Menorca, the peak occurred on the 28th, with 169,013 people; in Ibiza, on May 26, with 280,046; and in Formentera, on the 30th, with 27,218.
A season that starts earlier
The data confirms the trend detected during the first months of the year. February had already marked a monthly maximum of 1.32 million people and March had reached 1.52 million, also with records higher than those of 2025. The May increase shows how the typical summer burden is advancing and leaves fewer months of low demographic pressure. ARA Balears had already reported the February records and of March.
The new peak arrives amid the debate over the Islands' carrying capacity. During the first semester, Son Sant Joan frousted 15 million passengers, 14% more than three years ago, while Aena and institutions disagree on the responsibility for saturation. The traffic at Ibiza and Menorca airports also remains at its peak.
The pressure on housing, roads, water, and public services has also fueled the social response. The demonstration on July 26 against overpopulation brought together between 25,000 people in Palma, according to the National Police, and 70,000, according to the organization. The protest once again placed the limits of the tourism model at the center of political and social debate.