Costa del Sol adds 1,000 new companies so far this year while interior municipalities lose more than 600

The number of new businesses is growing in Malaga, but not uniformly. The number of companies registered with Social Security in the province reached nearly 60,300 at the end of April, representing an increase of 745 companies in the first four months of the year, according to the Andalusian institute of statistics (IECA) published on Monday.

This is slightly lower than that in the first four months of 2025, when Malaga added 963 companies. However, other factors are even more striking. For starters, business creation focuses on the city of Malaga and the Costa del Sol. Malaga city alone added 244 new companies between January and April, with Marbella following closely behind at 242. Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola followed, virtually tied with 140 new businesses each.

These five locations, along with Estepona and Mijas, have added more than 1,000 companies in the first four months of the year.

Within this corporate vigour of the Costa del Sol, it is worth highlighting what is happening in Marbella, given that with a business park that is less than half the size of that of Malaga city (20,521 companies at the end of April in Malaga, compared to fewer than 8,800 in Marbella), the rate of company creation so far in 2026 is practically the same in both municipalities.

In relative terms, the number of businesses in the province as a whole grew by 1.25% in the first four months of the year, a figure similar to that of Malaga city. In Marbella, the increase was 2.83%, surpassed by Fuengirola (4.54%), as well as Torremolinos and Benalmádena (more than 6%).

These are the province's most dynamic areas and they sharply contrast with the area that not only is the most lagging but has also suffered a decline: the interior of the province.

So far this year, nearly half of the province's municipalities (51 out of a total of 103) have lost businesses. This represents a decline compared to historical records of business activity in the province of Malaga, which show that a third of the towns have seen a decrease in the number of businesses over the last five years.

In total, these 51 municipalities lost 637 businesses in the first four months of 2026.

The town at the top of this list is Villanueva de Algaidas, where at the end of April there were 66 fewer companies than at the end of 2025 (down to a total of 158). Next is Alameda, with 56 fewer companies (down to 163). In Periana and Archidona, the number of companies has decreased by just over 40.

Among the larger municipalities, the one that has suffered the most so far this year is Antequera, which has 34 fewer companies than on 31 December 2025. It currently has 1,382. Mollina and Sierra de Yeguas have also lost more than 30 companies, while Villanueva del Rosario and Villanueva del Trabuco have seen more than 20 disappear.

In addition to these 50 or so towns, there are another ten that have not managed to add any companies in the last four months: Yunquera, Tolox, Jubrique, Istán, Genalguacil, Cútar, Cortes de la Frontera, Comares, Atajate and Algatocín.

In relative terms, the interior towns leading the ranking are small, with Macharaviaja (with the exception of Salares, which has doubled its number of companies from one to two) at the top. Macharaviaja's increase from five to seven companies represents a 40% growth, while Árchez's rise from six to eight is 33%. Guaro's increase from 31 to 38 companies is 22.6%.

In terms of percentage loss of companies, it is also smaller municipalities that suffer the most, with Villanueva de Algaidas, Villanueva del Rosario, Periana, Cartajima, Alfarnatejo and Serrato experiencing declines of between 30% and 40%.

At the end of April, Malaga city led the ranking in number of companies, with 20,521, representing more than a third of all companies in the province (60,297). Marbella followed with nearly 8,800. Next were Fuengirola (3,222), Mijas (2,838) and Vélez-Málaga, Estepona, Torremolinos and Benalmádena, all with more than 2,000 companies.

Antequera, Ronda, Alhaurín de la Torre, Nerja and Rincón de la Victoria all had more than 1,000 companies. Of these towns, which have the most extensive business sectors, only Antequera, as noted, experienced a decrease in the number of companies.