"There are no homes, that's why prices rise"
If the problem were a shortage of homes, the data would say so. It doesn't.
Total homes
26.623.708
Census 2021
Households
19.596.099
ECP 2024
Empty homes
3.837.328
14.4% % of total
The "housing shortage" explanation is incomplete. There are more homes than households. There are millions of empty homes.
The housing access problem exists. But it can't be explained by unit scarcity alone. Geographic distribution, price, and use (tourist rental, second homes) are factors that "quantity" data doesn't capture.
Distribution of homes by use
Source: INE — Censo 2021
Breakdown by use type
| Type | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| Principales (uso habitual) | 19.264.380 | 72.4% |
| Secundarias (uso esporádico) | 3.522.000 | 13.2% |
| Vacías | 3.837.328 | 14.4% |
Evolution of households (millions)
Source: INE — ECH (tabla 24295)
Breakdown by year
| Year | Households |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 19.596.099 |
| 2023 | 19.344.200 |
| 2022 | 19.100.500 |
| 2021 | 18.919.900 |
| 2020 | 18.754.800 |
| 2019 | 18.652.700 |
| 2018 | 18.581.800 |
Methodological notes
- •Empty homes: no electricity contract or consumption below 15 days/year
- •Housing data comes from the 2021 Census
- •Household data comes from the ECH/ECP (annual series)
- •The homes/households comparison indicates availability, not geographic distribution or affordability