How many people are there over 100 years old enjoying the latter years of their life in Malaga province?
The latest data has revealed some surprising statistics and also revealed where on the Costa del Sol most of the centenarians live
There are 378 people over 100 years of age living in the Malaga province, the majority of them (289) women, compared to only 89 men. This means that 75% (three out of every four centenarians) are women. The statistics for the area which includes the Costa del Sol are not too different from the figures in Spain as a whole. According to the continuous population survey published by the INE national institute of statistics, there were 19,190 centenarians spread across the country on 1 July 2025. Of them, 81% (15,625) were women. The proportion of females is similar in the Andalucía region - 80% of the total or 1,574 women out of the 1,940 individuals.
Despite the slightly lower proportion of female centenarians in the province, it still proves that women live longer than men.
378 people over 100 years of age in Malaga province
Of these, 289 (75%) are women, compared to fewer than 100 men
This is also reflected in the life expectancy figures. Life expectancy at 65 years of age - the time remaining once that age has been reached - is 19.65 years for men and 23.49 for women in Spain as a whole. At 85 years, it is 6.45 for men and 7.75 for women. Life expectancy at birth is 81.1 years for men and 86.3 years for women. These all correspond to 2023, when the latest available data was recorded.
The gender gap is therefore 5.2 years in favour of women, although it has been narrowing in recent years: it was six years in 2010 and more than seven years in the 90s. This is because male life expectancy has been catching up with female life expectancy: reports state that men have significantly reduced their mortality from external causes and cardiovascular diseases, while women have acquired some of their risk factors.
188% is how much the number of centenarians in Malaga has grown since 2005
The number of women is 201% higher than 20 years ago, while the number of men over 100 years has increased by 154%
The gap is narrowing and both men and women continue to improve their life expectancy, although men are doing it faster. The same happens with people over the age of 100. In Malaga province, the number of female centenarians has increased by 201% since 2005, while the male proportion has grown by 154%.
The tables have turned in the last decade. Since 2015, the growth of male centenarians in the province has outstripped that of female centenarians: men over the age of 100 have risen by 93%, while women have done it only by 74%.
Let's look at the absolute numbers. In 2005, there were 131 people (both sexes) over 100 years of age; 212 in 2015; and 378 this summer. Of those, women were 96 in 2005; 166 ten years ago; and 289 now. At the same time, there were 35 men in 2005; 46 in 2015 and 89 in 2025.
Although they have picked up speed in achieving ever greater longevity, today there are still fewer men over 100 years of age (89) than there were women two decades ago (96).
Similar is the situation at the national level. In Spain as a whole, the number of women over the age of 100 has grown by 288% over the last 20 years, compared to the 203% in the case of men. In the last decade, however, the number of men who have reached the age of 100 has risen by 103% compared to 81% for women. At the same time, the number of men who have passed the age of 100 in Spain today (3,565) is smaller than the number of women over 100 years two decades ago (4,020).
The Costa del Sol province ranks sixth in terms of total population, with almost 1.8 million inhabitants, behind Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Seville. Meanwhile, in terms of the number of centenarians, it is in 14th place in Spain. Ahead of it, in addition to the country's most populated provinces, are others such as Asturias (with more than 650 centenarians, the fourth highest figure in Spain), as well as Pontevedra (508), León (420) and Burgos (381).
Centenarians in the province live mainly in Malaga city, Fuengirola and Torremolinos
Let's look at another type of statistics - the annual population census, which provides data for 2024, in contrast to the continuous population survey, the latest data of which refers to the start of July this year. The annual population census provides information on the number of centenarians in Malaga province by municipality.
First, it should be noted that the number of people over the age of 100 recorded in 2024 was 245 (well below the nearly 400 recorded in the population survey this year, just published by the INE).
According to the census, most of the province's centenarians in 2024 lived in Malaga city (92), Fuengirola (18) and Torremolinos (15). Marbella, Antequera and Estepona had more than ten centenarians each, while Vélez-Málaga had nine.
The eight centenarians in Ronda were women, while six out of Benalmádena's seven were women. There was a good number of municipalities with only one person over the age of 100, always a woman: Alameda, Almogía, Casares, Coín and Campillos are just some examples. Although fewer, there were also towns with only one centenarian who was male: Humilladero, Pizarra and Cuevas Bajas.
