Torrox leads population growth on eastern Costa del Sol
The town has gained 432 inhabitants in the last year, increasing its population to 22,015 and Malaga province's Axarquía area is now home to more than 232,800 people, with some big contrasts between municipalities
Malaga province's Axarquía area reached 232,822 inhabitants on 1 January 2025, according to official data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), which represents an increase of 1,515 people compared to 2024 and confirms a trend of sustained growth since 2022. However, there are significant differences between the 31 municipalities that make up the eastern area of Malaga province. In global terms, the Axarquía has gone from 224,373 inhabitants in 2022 to the current 232,822, with an accumulated increase of more than 8,400 residents in three years.
The analysis by years shows a progressive growth: in 2023 the area to the east of Malaga province added more than 4,100 inhabitants, in 2024 the increase was 2,751 people and in 2025 the increase has been more moderate, although it continues to be positive. This behaviour is supported, fundamentally, by the coastal municipalities and their immediate surroundings, while inland towns and villages show a more irregular evolution, with moderate increases in some cases and persistent decreases in others.
"This growth is orderly, sustainable and of high quality, linked to the improvement of services and infrastructure"
Torrox consolidates its position as the municipality that has gained the most population in absolute terms in the last year, with 432 new inhabitants in 2025, reaching 22,015 residents. The evolution of Torrox is particularly significant: in 2022 it had 19,997 inhabitants, in 2023 it exceeded 20,900, in 2024 it reached 21,583, and now exceeds the 22,000 mark. Mayor Óscar Medina attributes this evolution to a model of "orderly, sustainable and quality growth", linked to the "improvement of services, infrastructure and residential opportunities".
Along with Torrox, other coastal municipalities have maintained a clear upward trajectory since 2022: Rincón de la Victoria has gone from 50,569 inhabitants in 2022 to 52,454 in 2025, with a particularly strong increase in the last year (+224). Algarrobo is growing steadily, from 6,625 inhabitants in 2022 to the current 7,103, while Vélez-Málaga, the most populated municipality in the Axarquía, has gone from 83,899 in 2022 to 86,048 in 2025, with annual increases which, although more moderate in percentage terms, represent hundreds of new residents each year.
Competa
In inland towns and villages the behaviour is more diverse. Municipalities such as Cómpeta maintain an upward trend in the period 2022-2025, rising from 3,814 to 3,824 inhabitants, with a significant upturn in 2025 after a decline in 2024. Colmenar has also grown steadily from 2022, reaching 3,626 residents, while Benamocarra is now home to 3,200 inhabitants.
However, several municipalities have experienced losses or stagnation in recent years, especially in the 2024-2025 period. This is the case of Nerja, which, after growing between 2022 and 2024, has lost 55 inhabitants in the last year, remaining at 22,132. Recent decreases have also been recorded in Periana, Moclinejo, Iznate, Canillas de Albaida and Riogordo, which, despite slight upturns in previous years, are once again at similar or lower figures than in 2022.
The municipality-by-municipality breakdown confirms a two-speed Axarquía, with a coastal area that continues to attract residents, both nationals and foreign and an inland area that faces greater difficulties to retain its population, in a context marked by ageing, lack of available housing and less employment.
Medina says that "you cannot grow at any price" and argues that the challenge for the coming years is to consolidate growth with better public services, affordable housing and job creation, a reflection shared by other municipalities in the Axarquía in the face of a changing demographic scenario.
