The Balearic Islands are already full, but the population is predicted to grow even more in the next ten years, according to a study by the National Institute of Statistics.
In 2001 there were 878,627 residents in the Balearics and the INE says the population will reach 1,334,731 in the next decade, up 13.93% compared to 0.81% nationwide. Only Madrid and the Canary Islands have a population growth of more than 5% and both will grow slightly more than 8% in the next 10 years.
The population increase is concentrated in Mediterranean areas of Spain and in Madrid, whereas in 9 Communities, in addition to Ceuta and Melilla, the number of people will decrease in the next decade.
From 2001-2030 the population of the Balearic Islands will have increased by 456,104 inhabitants, up 51.9% and more than triple the average growth 16.3% in Spain, according to INE forecasts.
The skyrocketing population growth in the Balearic Islands will also have a knock on effect on the environment, infrastructure and economy. More people means more roads, sewage plants, schools, hospitals, water networks, sewers and waste disposal will be necessary.
At the end of the last century, the Balearic Islands had the highest per capita wealth, but the figures have been falling in recent years. Without taking the Covid-19 pandemic into account, per capita wealth in the Balearic Islands has already been surpassed by Madrid, the Basque Country, Navarre, Catalonia and Aragon, and its also below the European average.
Finance
The Communities of Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha (PSOE), Galicia and Castilla y León (PP) all have decreasing populations, so they’ve formed a block to make sure population is not a determining factor when it comes to financing the Communities.
The Balearic Government wants to make a block with Communities that are full and maintains contact with the Valencian Community specifically for that purpose.