Housing crisis is laid bare in Spain’s Balearic Islands: One in three homes are empty or are only used for a few days per year, figures reveal

SHOCKING figures have shed light on the Balearic Islands’ housing crisis, with up to one in three homes empty for all or most of the year at a time when many locals struggle to find affordable accommodation.

The data, published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) as part of their latest Official Housing Census, shows that out of 652,123 total dwellings in the Balearics, just 441,536 of these are primary residences and therefore in constant use over the course of a year.

Some 105,434 houses lie empty, whilst 105,153 are second homes or sporadic housing and as such are in limited use.

The data has also laid bare the decreasing proportion of homes available to local residents amid a chronic shortage of affordable accommodation – between 2011 and 2021, the year in which the latest censuses were taken, the population of the Balearics has increased by 91,759 people, but the number of primary homes has risen by just 11,000.

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In 2011, 73.3% of homes in the Balearics were used as primary accommodation, but in just a decade this figure has fallen by over six percentage points – on the contrary, the number of houses used as non-main residences has increased by 47.9%. 

Many locals believe they are being priced out with housing stock prioritised for second or holiday homes instead of affordable accommodation. In 2022, housing prices on the islands surged by over 20%.

In May, thousands of Mallorcans took to the streets of Palma under the banner ‘Mallorca is not for sale’ as protestors criticised Airbnbs, hotels, tourist lets and holiday homes for driving up housing prices and forcing locals to share flats, move in with family or even sleep in their own cars.