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Palma.—The highest population of the Balearic Islands since 1997 was recorded on August 12 last year when the regional census registered 1.84 million people, Andreu Sanso, Economy director of the Balearic Statistics Institute (Ibestat) confirmed this week.

The so-called “Human Pressure Index” (IPH), he said, shows through a chronological databank created between 1997 and 2010 that the population in the islands normally peaks during the month of August and is at its minimum during December.

Furthermore it can be seen that between these dates (of 1997 and 2010) the annual maximum climbed from 1.4 million to 1.8 million people (an extra 29.4%) and the minimum levels from 743'835 to 1.04 million (a rise of 40.5%).

Holiday period
The fact that there is a greater increase in the minimum population levels than in the maximum population levels indicates that the resident population is growing at a higher rate than the floating population which comes to the islands, explained Sanso. He commented however that the visiting tourist population is spreading itself out over more months of the year rather than just over a strict traditional 6-month holiday period.

The IPH shows a daily registration of population levels and is a key tool in decisions which need to be taken on regional infrastructure such as on the provision of health and educational services. The statistics are also vital for calculating the volume of water and electricity supply needed to be made available to the community.