Never before has Benidorm had so many inhabitants. With 74,600 people, Benidorm (Alicante) has reached an all-time high population, as confirmed by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE).
According to INE data, the number of registered inhabitants in Benidorm as of January 1, 2024 was 74,588. That´s almost 2,250 people more than in 2023 and 820 more than in 2013, when Benidorm reached its previous population record.
This was announced on Monday by the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez. He stressed that these figures “confirm that there is a growing interest not only to live in Benidorm, but also to register in the city”.
Improving services and employment
The mayor stated that this is “undoubtedly” due to “the gradual improvement of public services, economic opportunities and employment that a leading tourist destination offers, as well as various measures taken in recent years at municipal level that have acted as incentives”. In this context, he mentioned, among other things, the parking sticker for residents, the Citizens Card or various discounts on public rates.
Economic trigger
“As a city, Benidorm is an engine for generating employment and an economic driver. That potential is gradually reflected in the number of inhabitants. It’s slow, but solid and steady growth over time. As a result, in a few years we have gone from just over 66,000 inhabitants to over 74,500,” Pérez added.
Moreover, he emphasised that this number of almost 74,600 inhabitants “is not final and could increase. Now begins a period in which municipalities can submit objections to the population figure determined by the INE. The number that municipalities use in their own registers is usually higher than that initially determined by the INE.”
Foreign population
These differences in figures are mainly influenced by the foreign population. Depending on nationality, they must renew or confirm their registration, a procedure that not all residents complete in time.
Pérez emphasised that “the efficient management carried out by the Statistics Department has led to an increasingly accurate alignment of municipal figures with those of the INE. This has reduced the differences to 2.8%, a few points below the percentages of previous years.”
Finally, the mayor announced that “the goal remains to reach 75,000 inhabitants, that threshold that would mean that we would take the step towards a ‘big city’. With this we would also have the opportunity to receive more funding from the state,” Pérez commented.
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