The latest Housing Census from the National Statistics Institute shows that of 652,123 dwellings in the Balearics, 210,537 are not used as main residences.
Conducted every ten years, the INE census for the Balearics points to the total number of dwellings having increased by 65,141. Less than a fifth of these - 11,799 - are used as main residences. The rest are either second homes, are rented out to tourists or are empty.
Data from the INE indicate that the number of unoccupied homes has risen from 71,255 ten years ago to 105,434. Some researchers have suggested that this figure is higher.
In respect of what the INE terms 'secondary' homes, there are now 105,103, whereas there were 85,717 ten years ago. Secondary covers both second homes and those for rent to tourists.
There is a separate figure for residential renting. Of the over 440,000 'main' homes, 103,526 are classified as being for this purpose.
The Balearic government, conscious of a housing emergency on the islands and of the problems experienced with accessing housing, wants to obtain reliable data. The INE's figures are open to question, and so the 2024 budget includes provision for a housing observatory.
This observatory, something which has been called for by the real-estate sector, will come up with its own data. The intention is to get a true picture of the housing situation.