05/12/2004 00:00
TW
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Staff Reporter NEARLY half of the non-resident population of the Balearics, 174'796 people, have a second home on the Islands (82'575). According to the results of a population and property census related to 2001 released this week by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the other half of this population sector is linked to the Balearics because they are working on the Islands (80'388 people) or because they are studying here (11'835).


The 841'669 people which the INE have listed as being resident in the Balearics, nearly 60 percent are simply living here (518'042); 270'585 live and work here; 30'800 are studying and 22'242 have a second home on the Islands.

In the case of Banyalbufar, which houses a larger population of non-residents (621) than residents (517), the situation has arisen because of 599 people having connections with the municipality through being proprietors of a second residence.

These instances are especially important also in Escorca, where there is a higher percentage of non-resident population with ties in the area than there are permanent residents (278 and 257 respectively), for reasons of work and housing.

A similar situation also exists in Es Mercadal, where 2'905 out of the non-resident population (3'229) have a second home and outnumber the residents by 140.

Other municipalities with non-resident percentage being noticeably higher than the Balearic average include Alcudia, where out of a total population of 22'700, 10'200 people are non-resident (7'339 of whom own a second home); Ses Salines (6'399 total population, 3'010 non-resident and 2'775 people with a second home); Sant Lluís (5'536 total population, 2'266 non-residents with 1'835 second homes); and Sencelles (3'580 total population, 1'434 non-residents and 1'311 second homes).

Palma de Mallorca is the municipality with the largest number of second homes owned by non-residents (7'532), although the majority of the non-resident population exists because of reasons of work (30'111 out of a total of 49'968), while 7'375 are in the city to study.

Following on behind Palma, the second highest figures relate to Alcudia; Calvia (6'177 linked to the area because of a second home out of a total of 13'127 non residents); Llucmayor (4'911 non-residents with a second home out of a total of 7'201); Santa Margalida (3'701 properties belonging to non-residents out of a total of 4'526 people linked to the area); and Campos (3'268 second home owners out of a non-resident population of 3'657); and Ibiza (2'773 second home owners out of a total non-resident population of 9'392).