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Balearic population growing faster than elsewhere in Spain

The population in the Balearics is increasing. | Archive

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma18/12/2016 00:00

At the start of July, the resident population of the Balearics (the official one, that is) was 1,144,396. Population growth in the first half of the year was the fastest among regions of Spain; there were over 8,700 new people, with almost half of them having come from other countries. Incomers from different parts of Spain accounted for around 40%, while just over 10% of the increase represented a positive balance between births and deaths.

The European Union contributed more than 3,000 of the new population, the increase in which outstripped that of the Canaries. For Spain as a whole, and by contrast, the population growth was almost at a standstill.

The number of Balearic citizens leaving the islands was 825 over the six-month period. In 2015 the number for the whole year was 1,171. While the population growth is being attributed to improved economic conditions and greater employment opportunities, a different perspective is offered by emigration, which seems to be rising once more.