MALAGA has surpassed the 600,000-resident mark for the first time.
In January this year, the city recorded a population of around 603,000 following an annual increase of 5,971 people.
The growth is largely driven by immigration, with only 387 of the new residents being Spanish nationals and 5,584 arriving from abroad.
The latest figures make Malaga the seventh fastest-growing city in Spain, behind Sevilla, Murcia and Alicante.
Despite recent gains, the city’s population has risen by just 30,000 over the past decade, compared with a national increase of 1.1 million over the same period.
The modest long-term growth is linked to declining birth rates.
After a decade of falling fertility levels in the province, the rate reached a low of 1.07 in 2024.
However, recently there have been slight increases in births.
In 2025, there were 11,744 births in Málaga province, up 51 births (0.43%) compared with the previous year.
The combination of marginally rising births and sustained migration has pushed the city past the 600,000 threshold.
Click here to read more Malaga News from The Olive Press.
