This is how much the population of Marbella is growing every day
The number of people living in the Costa del Sol town has increased by 23,000 and the number of workers by more than 11,300 in the last four years
Marbella, which is the largest town in Malaga province after Malaga city closed 2015 with 131,472 inhabitants, reached 144,884 in 2020 and in September this year has already surpassed 172,000 registered residents, according to town hall data.
Marbella finished 2024 with 166,775 inhabitants and the population reached 172,063 on 25 September this year. That's 5,288 more inhabitants, or in other words, Marbella's population has grown this year at a rate of around 590 people per month and 20 per day.
Population
172,063 inhabitants
Marbella reached this population figure on 25 September, some 5,288 more than it had at the end of 2024, which represents a growth of almost 20 people per day.
The figure as of 25 September already makes 2025 the third highest population increase in the last ten years and if this average is maintained, it would beat the record for the decade. After the population grew by 1,817 people in 2020, the following year, in 2021, it grew by 4,173 people to 149,057. In 2022 the number of inhabitants shot up by 6,939 people; in 2023 it grew by 4,274 to 160,270; and last year it grew by 6,505 people. In other words, some 17,718 more inhabitants in just three years, to which a further 5,288 will be added in 2025.
More workers and housing
The increase in the population goes hand in hand with economic growth. The latest Social Security enrollment data showed a figure of 81,390 contributors at the end of September, which is 11,350 more than in the same month of 2021 (70,040 members), which means an average of around 2,840 more workers each year.
This scenario has forced the town hall to set itself the objective of ensuring that the town continues to grow and according to town planning councillor José Eduardo Díaz it is working on dozens of projects in the short, medium and long term to absorb the need for housing caused by the increase in population, including several thousand affordable homes (VPOs). In San Pedro Alcántara alone there are 399 under construction, with an approved licence or with an upcoming authorisation to start work, and the town hall's objective is to reach 800 VPOs in about five years' time.
