Expats accounted for 98% of new residents in Spain’s Balearic Islands in the first half of 2024

NEW figures from the Spanish Statistics Institute (INE) have revealed that 98% of new residents in the Balearic Islands were foreign during the first six months of 2024. 

Some 4,424 people moved to the islands during this period, but only 75 were Spanish. 

The rate of new foreign residents was highest in Ibiza, at 97.6%, followed by Formentera at 71.4% and Menorca at 55%. 

The Balearic Islands have the highest percentage of foreign residents in Spain, at 28%.

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The total population is currently at 1,238,812, up 6,312 from January 1. 

Even if this same growth continues in the second half of 2024, the population rise will still be slower than in 2022 and 2023, when it was around 22,000. 

In July, Mallorca’s population stood at 962,479. 

As the population nears one million, protests against mass tourism are ongoing, bringing into sharp focus a lack of housing and infrastructure for Spanish residents. 

In comparison, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera have 162,776, 101,885 and 11,672 residents respectively.

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