Population growth poses a puzzle for the archipelagos of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. So much so that the Canarian Government has created a commission to try to contain its increase, while proposing alternative measures such as restricting the purchase of housing to non-residents. This reality is more pressing in the islands that suffer the boom of mass tourism, where the visiting population doubles or triples the residents and there are movements of workers who migrate to work in the service sector. This is shown in the Informe 4 islas 2024, which analyzes the realities of Lanzarote, La Palma, Ibiza and Menorca.
In 32 years, in the period between 1991 and 2023, the resident population of Lanzarote grew by 244.6% and the island gained 93,887 inhabitants, reaching 158,798. This reality confronts the island with the challenge of how to manage its resources and its infrastructure. Likewise, population growth has come hand in hand with tourism.
This research reveals that the human pressure of Lanzarote, generated between tourists and residents, is the highest of the territories analyzed. In 2023, the island reached its highest human pressure, with a total of 233,399 people, a figure that has not stopped growing in 2024. That is why it warns that "strategic management" is required to "mitigate the impacts that mass tourism generates on natural resources, infrastructure and local quality of life."
In this context, it should be taken into account that in the case of Lanzarote and La Palma, the tourism that arrives in the Canary Islands is stable throughout the year, while the Balearic tourism is seasonal and more frequent in the summer months.
Pressure on the territory
According to this study, the island of volcanoes also has the second highest population density of the territories analyzed. In 1991, Lanzarote had 77 residents per square kilometer, in 2023 it rose to 188. In contrast, with a much smaller area, Ibiza had 126 residents per square kilometer in the nineties and 278 in 2023. These figures skyrocket when taking into account the tourist population, in Ibiza there are 402 inhabitants per square kilometer, while in Lanzarote it rises to 276.
Both Lanzarote and Ibiza, "face a similar pressure", despite the fact that the island of volcanoes also has the protection of a biosphere reserve. "This growth shows an intensive use of the territory on an island that, as a biosphere reserve, must balance conservation and development", the text continues.
Thus, it adds that "careful management of resources" must be given, in the face of sustained demand between residents and tourists.
Endless tourism and its environmental impacts
In a context of housing emergency, with the most expensive access to housing in its history, Lanzarote is immersed in the declaration of a water and management crisis due to the continuous water supply cuts and is overwhelmed by the environmental impact of its natural spaces due to tourist overload.
This research indicates that, despite the tourist stop of the pandemic, Lanzarote, Ibiza and Menorca recovered "immediately" and "exceeded the historical values" they had registered. In this way, the study highlights the importance of promoting "sustainability policies" to "mitigate the impacts of this mass tourism on resources and public services."
Regarding population growth, this research delves into the role that migratory movements have in the population growth of the island. According to the latest data published by Ekonomus, Colombians, British, Italians, Moroccans and Germans are the main foreign residents on the island. Thus, it highlights the arrival of immigration "offers an economic and demographic boost, but also puts pressure "on natural resources and public services, which requires sustainability and resource management policies."
Thus, Ibiza has the highest percentage of foreign residents. 32.7% of its residents were born outside of Spain, while in Lanzarote the figure is 31.7% of residents born abroad. In contrast, 23 years ago, foreign residents were 16.9% in Lanzarote. At this point, the research invites to "address the challenges of a diverse and growing population."
In this sense, the document highlights that the immigration of people of working age "has allowed to sustain" the tourist economies of Lanzarote and Ibiza and highlights "a continuous arrival of young adults in search of employment." In contrast, it appreciates a reduction in the population base pushed because there are fewer births, young people migrate to other areas in search of opportunities and changes in the family model.