Lanzarote´s Population Expands By 5.6% in 2008

The population of Lanzarote, the most easterly link in the Canary Island chain, has grown by 5.6% during the course of 2008.  According to figures just released by Spain´s National Institute of Statistics.  And now numbers 139,506 officially registered residents.  Having nearly doubled in just over a decade.

The latest INE figures reveal that the number of officially registered residents from 132,336 people in 2007 to 139,506 during 2008.   But the real population figures for the island are in fact much higher – as Lanzarote is a holiday island and is therefore home to a relatively transient populace.  With many non-Spanish nationals living and working here for brief periods of time or over the longer term without ever officially registering for residency or social security.

Population growth on the island has been at its most dramatic in the newest resort of Playa Blanca.  Which has been the main focal point for the construction of new property in Lanzarote over the last ten years and where the construction of hotels and holiday villas has expanded apace. This concerted period of development has contributed to a quadrupling of the number of residents in the municipality since 1998. With the population of this busy resort town growing by 18.8% in the last year alone.

Other municipalities on the island which are also home to Lanzarote´s main holiday destinations have witnessed similarly rapid expansion in population numbers too.  Such as Tias, which encompasses the islands largest and oldest resort, Puerto del Carmen.  Home to the bulk of Lanzarote´s sizeable British expatriate community, where the population has also nearly doubled over the last ten years. 

Elsewhere, the island capital of Arrecife remains the most densely populated conurbation on the island by some distance – with a total population of 59.040 people, up 3.9% in the last year.

The British are now well established as the largest expatriate community on the island – with 5909 officially registered residents.  Although many island observers believe the real figure could be as much as double this amount.  Followed by Colombian (5175 residents) and German (3549 residents) expatriates.