Lanzarote population explosion

While much public debate concerns the increasing amount of tourists arriving on Lanzarote, less attention is given to the fact that Lanzarote’s resident population has increased far more than the tourist population, which has always been limited by official quotas. 

In 1993, the official population of Lanzarote was 72,755; today it is 159,021 – a 138% increase. Meanwhile, the average amount of tourists on the island at any given time has risen by 38%, from 36,000 to 50,000.

Information such as this has been gathered in a recent report comparing the Biosphere zones of Lanzarote and Menorca, and which concludes that the Canary Island has grown faster and less sustainably than the Balearic one. 

The report also states that wages are 21% higher on Menorca and that inequality is lower on the Balearic Island, with local authorities spending more on social services and housing.