The latest figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute point to a further increase in the Balearic Islands population - 1,249,844 as of January 1, 2025, a year-on-year rise of 1.46% - but also to the loss of people from other regions of the country.
Just over half the total population was born in the Balearics. Of the remaining 48.5%, 358,505 were from other countries, while 247,398 were from other Spanish regions.
Over the past four years, the foreign population has grown by 65,936. Morocco and South American countries such as Colombia and Ecuador have been the main sources. The population from other regions has meanwhile dropped by 5,752; Andalusians are a case in point.
This loss is mainly attributed to the high cost of living in the Balearics. Other regions of the country are more affordable, especially when it comes to housing. People who have spent their entire working lives in the Balearics are among those moving back to the mainland. While the cost of living may be a reason, it may also be the case that they wish to return to their home regions after retirement.
The population trend is such that by 2029 the native population of the Balearics is likely to be in a minority. In 2021 it represented 53.9% of the total; now down to 51.5%. In Ibiza and Formentera this is already the case, and quite markedly so. The Balearic population of these two islands accounts for 37.8% and 36.6% of the respective totals. Mallorca's native population is 53.6%, Menorca's 55%.