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Date Published: 19/04/2022

ARCHIVED - Region of Murcia will see record growth in households by 2035

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The number of households in the Murcia Region is expected to increase by 11.2% in a decade

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Region of Murcia will see record growth in households by 2035

As family units decrease in size and large extended families are replaced by nuclear alternatives, the number of actual households subsequently increases, and the Region of Murcia looks set to become one of the three autonomous communities in Spain with the highest level of growth over the next decade.

According to the latest study on Household Projection 2020-2035 published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of households in Murcia will rise by 11.2% over the next 13 years to 608,382 (an additional 61,500 family/cohabiting units).

Ahead of Murcia are the Balearic Islands (+12.6%) and the Canary Islands (+11.3%).

Sociologist Juan Carlos Solano explains that this increase is due to the fact that the size of households is becoming smaller and smaller, not only in the Region, but in the whole country due to the decrease in the number of births.

“The synthetic fertility index, which is the average number of children per woman in the fertile period, fell from 1.24% to 1.19% in Spain, although the Region has a slightly higher fertility rate, it does not differ greatly from the national average,” he said, adding that “it is logical that we have more and more households, because they are getting smaller and smaller.”

Also read: Uptick in mortgages shows the Murcia Region has lost none of its shine for buying real estate in Spain

In 1960, the average household size was four people. However, the INE report reveals that this figure will decrease in the Region from 2.74 people to 2.61 in 2035.

The percentage of single-person households will also grow by 2.8% in Spain in 2035. In the past, when older people were left alone after losing a partner for example, they went to live with other relatives. But since the 1970s this figure has plummeted to “almost minimal levels”. By 2035, 24% of properties in the Murcia Region are expected to be single-person households – one of the lowest forecast percentages in the country.

According to the INE report, this is because the “Region is very dynamic demographically, which means that the number of single-person households is reduced”.

Households with other dependents are becoming less and less common because older people have a higher quality of life, can live alone for longer and usually prefer to stay at home, says the report.

Immigration will also play a part in boosting the increase in the number of households. In comparison with other communities, Murcia has a high percentage of migrant population (14%) and over the years this “will continue to grow, which will influence the size of households”.

The INE’s 2020-2035 projection estimates 4,100 new households are required to meet demand per year, which is well above the 2,635 new homes built in 2021.

Now read: The number of foreigners buying property in Spain has risen by more than 40%

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