Majorca panic as 95% of new residents on Balearic Islands not from Spain

The Balearic Islands in Spain is experiencing a population boom, yet 95% of residents gained over the past year are from foreign countries. With 1,251,086 people living on the islands as of July 1, 2025, the number of people residing there has reached a new high. Over the past year, the population has risen by 12,501. However, only 626 of them were Spanish.

Over the past year, 95% of the new residents in the Balearics are from outside of Spain. According to new data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the islands saw a rise of foreign residents by 0.42% in just one quarter. In Majorca alone, the island is home to nearly one million inhabitants.

Out of the 971,369 residents on the island, 275,478 were born abroad - a total of 28%. The second most populated island in the archipelago is Ibiza, with a smaller population of 165,289.

On the popular British holiday spot, a whopping 35% of residents (57,741) were born in another country. Menorca follows closely behind with 102,880 inhabitants, 21% (21,780) of whom are foreign nationals.

The smaller island of Formentera is home of 11,548 residents. 37% of the population are foreign born, totalling 4,219.

The population growth across the island has been attributed to the rise of foreign born nationals moving to the Spanish archipelago.

Colombians make up the highest percentage group of people who have moved to the Balearics, with a total of 3,340 citizens moving to the islands in the first six months of the year alone.

Other nationalities include Argentineans, with 1,930 in the first six months, and Moroccans, with 1,170 new residents in the same time period.

However, the largest number of departures from the islands were also Colombians, with 730 emigrating. Germans take the second spot with 470 residents leaving, and Italians in third place, with 420.

In Spain, the Balearic Islands is the region with the highest percentage of foreign residents, with 29% of people in total being born in another country. Catalonia follows closely with 26%, with Madrid and the Valencian Community with 25%.