People on a street in Palma, Mallorca

Palma's population is over 420,000. | Miquel À. Cañellas

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma18/06/2021 11:44
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Figures from the National Statistics Institute show that population growth in Palma in 2020 was the fourth highest among Spanish cities. There was 1.56% growth - 6,522 more people and a total registered population of 422,587. This growth equated to almost 30% of the increase in the whole of the Balearics in 2020 - 22,083 more people to 1,171,543. The three cities with higher population growth were Madrid, Barcelona and Zaragoza.

By district, the greatest increases were in those with high non-EU immigrant populations - Foners, Pere Garau, Son Gotleu. In districts like Son Vida, which have high EU immigrant communities, the increases were comparatively modest.

The population of Spain has risen by around 38% since 1975, having gone from 34.2 million to 47.3 million. Over the decades, large areas of the country have been affected by migration from rural communities to the towns and cities, a reflection of economic transformation. Zamora is a province to have experienced a 31% decrease in population. In the Balearics, the population has doubled.

Asturias and Castile and León are the regions where there has been the most depopulation of municipalities. Some 85% now have fewer people than they did 25 years ago. Between 2017 and 2018, the population decreased in 26 provinces, e.g. Zamora and Ávila, whereas those which gained most were the Balearics, Madrid and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.