The number of young people from the Balearic Islands living abroad has doubled in ten years.
Difficult access to housing continues to hinder youth emancipation, meaning that only 16% of young people between 16 and 29 years old are emancipated.
PalmThe number of young people registered in the Balearic Islands but residing abroad has steadily increased in recent years. According to data included in the 2025 Balearic Islands Youth Yearbook, this year there were 13,330 young people between the ages of 15 and 34 registered in the Balearic Islands but living elsewhere, a figure that almost triples the number recorded in 2009, when there were 3,409 (+291%). The increase is also very significant when compared to 2015, when 6,425 young people were in this situation. The sustained growth of this indicator points to a possible exodus of educated young people abroad, in a context that, paradoxically, shows a recovery in the demographic weight of the young population in the Islands. In fact, the Yearbook confirms that the young population is growing again after years of a downward trend. Young people up to 34 years old currently represent 24% of the total population. For the first time, municipalities like Palma and Manacor have exceeded 20% young population, while no municipality now has less than 12%, demonstrating a more homogeneous territorial distribution of young people.
Regarding origin, 59% of young people were born in the Balearic Islands, 10% come from another autonomous community, and 30% are of foreign origin. This reality is particularly pronounced in the Pitiusas Islands. In Formentera, only 45% of young people were born on the island, a proportion that doesn't even reach half, with Ibiza showing very similar figures. According to the Yearbook, this demographic composition has social, cultural, and linguistic repercussions. In the educational sphere, the report focuses on one of the system's main weaknesses: early school leaving. Between the ages of 17 and 18, there is a sharp drop in enrollment, falling from 84% to 52% in just one year. This decline places the Balearic Islands well below the national average, where the enrollment rate in this age group is 81.2%. The Yearbook identifies this period as a critical point in young people's educational trajectories. The percentage of foreign students stands at 18.3%, a high figure compared to other regions. Young people born in the Balearic Islands represent 65% of the student body, while 7% study in private schools and the rest in state-subsidized private schools. The study also analyzes the relationship between education and the labor market. As the level of education increases, the employment rate among young people improves, although the Yearbook warns that higher employment does not necessarily guarantee stable or quality jobs. In general terms, the employment situation for young people remains more precarious than that of the adult population. The unemployment rate for the population as a whole stands at 9.3%, but rises to 25% among young people aged 16 to 24. It takes 22 years of salary to buy a house.
Access to housing remains one of the main obstacles to young people leaving home. Only 16% of young people aged 16 to 29 are independent, and renting is the most common option, chosen by 58% of those who manage to leave the family home. The cost of housing is particularly high: young people spend an average of up to 60% of their income on rent, a proportion that, in the case of those living alone, can reach up to 135% of their monthly salary. These conditions also have a social impact. The risk of poverty among young people aged 16 to 29 is 18.6%, while among those under 16 it rises to 26.4%. Furthermore, the Yearbook estimates that an average of 22 years' salary is needed to be able to afford to buy a home in the Balearic Islands.
Overall, the 2025 Youth Yearbook paints a picture of a demographically larger youth population, but also one with significant structural challenges in education, employment, and housing. This context helps explain why more and more young people registered in the Balearic Islands are choosing to pursue their life projects outside the archipelago, despite the overall growth of the youth population.