Housing and transport crisis: the top concerns for Malaga province residents

Residents of Malaga province have delivered a clear verdict on the challenges defining their daily lives: the housing crisis and transport infrastructure are now the two most critical issues facing the region.

The results of the 2026 Madeca foundation report, based on 2,050 surveys across the province (excluding Malaga city), highlight a significant shift in public priorities over the last year.

The housing crisis remains the primary source of anxiety for the province's inhabitants - a problem that has become chronic, as surveys have shown over the years. Almost half (47%) of respondents have stated that this is their main cause of concern, with a score of 8.41 out of ten.

While the survey excludes the provincial capital, the crisis is particularly acute in the following districts: the Serranía de Ronda, Antequera district, the Guadalhorce Valley and the Costa del Sol Occidental.

Residents identified high rents (21.6%) and a lack of market inventory (20.3%) as the primary barriers. Other significant pressures include the high volume of tourist rentals (18.4%) and job insecurity (12.7%). To combat this, the public is demanding more subsidised housing, the release of land, and stricter limits on tourist accommodation.

To combat this, the public is demanding more subsidised housing, the release of land, and stricter limits on tourist accommodation.

The daily traffic jams on major roads and overcrowding on public transport demonstrate the extent to which transport (or rather, the lack thereof) is a serious problem in Malaga. This concern has skyrocketed from one year to the next.

The number of Malaga residents who say their daily lives are affected by this issue has tripled in the last year, making it the second most pressing problem in the province, second only to the shortage of affordable housing. It has overtaken unemployment and healthcare, two issues that had historically been major concerns.

It's worth remembering that in the 2025 survey, the main problems were housing (49.5%), unemployment (7.4%), healthcare (7%), transport (4.6%) and the economy (3.3%). This year, however, the ranking of priorities has changed substantially, which is very likely linked to the migration of thousands of Malaga residents to municipalities in Malaga city's surrounding areas and Marbella, primarily.

Now, transport-related issues have moved from fourth to second place (12%), followed by health (6.3%), unemployment (5.7%) and politics in general (5%).

The lack of transportation is particularly noticeable among residents of the Axarquía district, the western Costa del Sol and the districts of Antequera and Guadalteba. In terms of scores, satisfaction barely passes a grade of 5.08 points at district level and 5.31 points at provincial level.

The survey also asks residents about the measures needed to reverse this situation. The proposal with the most support, at 25.7%, is the extension of rail service on the Costa del Sol to Algeciras, that is, the so-called coastal train project. With 20.5%, the demand to eliminate tolls on the AP-7 motorway follows closely behind.

Other key demands include the expansion and improvement of the two existing commuter rail lines: the C1 coastal line and the C2 Guadalhorce line (13.1%). Also important are the widening of the A-7 motorway from Vélez-Málaga to Malaga city's El Palo district (12.5%), the improvement of intercity bus lines (12.4%) and the extension of the Guadalhorce road (A-357) between Malaga and Campillos (10.7%).

The study reveals that almost 30% of surveyed residents believe that transport is the area to which more resources should be allocated to boost provincial development, ahead of other public works, entrepreneurship or hydraulic infrastructure.

The province has many strengths, which residents also clearly identify. Tourism remains the main economic driver for more than half (53%) of those surveyed, followed distantly by technology, construction, commerce and the agri-food sector.

Regarding the distribution of responsibilities, participants point to the central government as the body with the greatest capacity to solve their problems, although they consider that the Andalusian regional government is the body that currently contributes the most to the development of Malaga.

Despite these obstacles, the Madeca report highlights that, in general, the perception of Malaga residents regarding living conditions in the province is positive. The sociological survey shows moderate optimism about the state of the province, although with a downward trend. While in 2025, 76.3% of the population rated the situation as good or very good, that percentage has now fallen to 60.6%. Conversely, those who perceive the situation as bad or very bad have risen from 13.8% to 14.9%.

Residents of the Sierra de las Nieves, Guadalteba, Antequera, Axarquía and Valle del Guadalhorce districts are the most satisfied with their lives, while pessimism is more prevalent in the Serranía de Ronda and the northern part of Antequera. Looking ahead, those surveyed again show signs of hope: almost six out of ten (57.2%) are confident that the situation will not worsen in the next two years.