The ‘4 Islands 2024 Report’ highlights tourist influx, access to housing, and population growth as the main challenges facing island models.
10-04-2025
SOURCE and PHOTOGRAPH: IsladeLanzarote.com
The 4 Islands Sustainability Indicators 2024 Report, prepared by the Lanzarote Island Council’s Data Center, the La Palma World Biosphere Reserve, the Menorca Socio-Environmental Observatory (OBSAM) of the Institut Menorquí d’Estudis, and the IbizaPreservation Sustainability Observatory, highlights the increase in human pressure and housing access problems in island territories.
Ibiza and Lanzarote have doubled their populations since the 1990s, surpassing 158,000 inhabitants in 2023, placing increasing strain on infrastructure, natural resources, and the real estate market. Faced with this reality, the study calls for moderating the pace of growth, diversifying the economy, and adopting sustainable tourism models that protect ecosystems and improve social equity.
Access to housing
The housing crisis is one of the main factors of inequality. Ibiza and Lanzarote present the most complicated scenarios, with a real estate market that poses housing access problems for young people and workers. Menorca leads in social cohesion, while La Palma has the highest levels of poverty and exclusion. “It is worrying to observe the differences in sales price data for the region and the percentages of developed land or land with development potential,” warns Elisa Langley, coordinator of the Sustainability Observatory at Ibiza Preservation, who warns that “Ibiza shows signs of reaching an extreme situation, setting a trend that other islands could end up replicating if measures are not taken in time.”
Tourism as the main economic driver
Despite their demographic and structural differences, the islands share pressing challenges. Tourism remains the main economic pillar, with a particularly strong presence in Ibiza and Lanzarote, where the hospitality and retail sectors account for a large share of employment. Menorca stands out for its strong industrial sector, and La Palma maintains a significant agricultural sector. Phenomena such as seasonality and job insecurity particularly affect Ibiza and Menorca, with per capita incomes ranging between €12,000 and €15,000.
“One of the project’s greatest contributions is being able to compare on an island scale, among peers, with realities similar in size and population,” explains David Carreras Martí, director of OBSAM – Institut Menorquí d’Estudis, who highlights the importance of “studying not only whether we grow, but at what speed we grow, because that determines the capacity of the environment and society to absorb that change.”
Mobility, sustainability and emissions in island territories
Ibiza and Lanzarote surpassed eight million air passengers in 2023, while land traffic has intensified, especially during the high season. Territorially, urbanization already affects more than 8% of the land on both islands, putting particular pressure on coastal areas. Menorca and La Palma have better contained this expansion, although they are also experiencing coastal tensions.
The study also reveals intensive resource use and an increase in CO₂ emissions, driven by tourism and population growth. Although some progress has been made—such as water reuse in Lanzarote and Menorca—dependence on fossil fuels remains a worrying constant. “I think it’s essential to observe what has happened on these islands, what we can learn from each one, and what mistakes we should avoid so as not to repeat them,” says Miguel Ángel Martín Rosa, director of the Lanzarote Island Council’s Data Center, who also emphasizes “the high vulnerability and dependence on external sources” shared by these territories.
“One of the most significant data points for 2024 is the uneven recovery of tourism after the pandemic. While Ibiza, Menorca, and Lanzarote have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, La Palma has not yet reached that threshold,” says Isaac Pérez Romero, a technician at the La Palma World Biosphere Reserve. He also warns of “the particularly pronounced aging of the population in La Palma,” a major social challenge.
Roadmap based on four strategic axes
Faced with this diagnosis, the 4 Islands 2024 Report proposes a roadmap based on four strategic pillars: slowing the pace of development, promoting sustainable tourism models that reduce seasonality, diversifying the economy, and planning with an ecological vision that protects ecosystems and the territory. The recent COVID-19 pandemic and the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano on La Palma have tested the resilience of these territories and reinforce the report’s message: the future of the islands is at stake. The study does not aim to establish hierarchical comparisons, but rather to offer a rigorous tool for diagnosis and reflection to move toward an island model that combines economic development, social equity, and environmental sustainability.
The report was presented on February 20 in Lanzarote, as part of the discussion panel “Comparative Islands,” held during the Thursdays’ Memory 2025 conference series, organized by the Lanzarote Island Council’s Data Center.T
