Today in Spain: Barcelona's Housing Gap, Fuel Savings, Andalusian Elections and Storm Therese

Barcelona Built One Home for Every Ten New Residents

A striking set of figures has emerged highlighting the scale of Barcelona's housing crisis. Between 2021 and 2026, the city gained 94,917 new residents — yet over the same period, just 9,390 new homes were completed. That works out to roughly one new apartment for every ten people who moved to the city.

The problem extends beyond the city limits. Neighbouring municipalities including Santa Coloma de Gramenet and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat — densely populated urban areas that together form part of Barcelona's wider metropolitan belt — are experiencing similar mismatches between population growth and housing supply.

Local authorities point to space constraints as the primary limiting factor, with the urban fabric of these municipalities leaving little room for large-scale new build development. Proposed solutions include the rehabilitation of existing buildings and reform of land-use regulations to unlock development on underutilised plots. Neither is a quick fix — and in the meantime, competition for the limited housing that does exist is putting intense upward pressure on rents and purchase prices across the entire metropolitan area.

The figures add further weight to the argument that Spain's housing shortage is not simply a problem of demand but of a chronic failure to build enough homes where people need them — a failure that no amount of rental regulation alone can solve.

Fuel Savings Are Real — But Some Stations Aren't Playing Ball

The Spanish government's VAT cut on fuel — reducing the rate from 21% to 10% — is delivering real savings at the pump, government spokesperson Elma Saiz confirmed on Tuesday. She stated that motorists are now saving approximately €20 per full tank compared to prices seen before the emergency package took effect, with combined tax cuts translating to between 30 and 40 cents per litre at the forecourt.

The saving is a meaningful one for drivers who have been watching fuel prices climb sharply since the Middle East conflict began disrupting flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, consumer watchdog Facua has raised a significant concern: roughly one in four petrol stations have responded to the VAT cut not by lowering prices, but by increasing them — effectively absorbing the tax reduction as additional margin rather than passing it through to customers. The government included anti-profiteering provisions in the emergency decree, but enforcement is proving patchy.

If you are not seeing lower prices at your local filling station, it is worth comparing prices on the government's Geoportal de Gasolineras (geoportalgasolineras.es) and reporting non-compliant stations to the Ministry for Ecological Transition, which has oversight responsibility under the emergency measures.

Andalusia Heads to the Polls on May 17th

Regional president Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla has confirmed that Andalusia will hold regional elections on May 17th. Announcing the date, Moreno expressed hope that the timing would "facilitate greater participation and allow the people of Andalusia to speak with maximum clarity and normality."

Current polling suggests his Partido Popular (PP) is on course to win the election — but is likely to fall just short of an absolute majority, meaning post-election coalition or support negotiations could be required. The PP currently governs Andalusia with an absolute majority, having achieved a historic result in the 2022 regional elections.

Andalusia is Spain's most populous region, with around 8.5 million residents, and its electoral outcome carries significant weight for national politics. A strong PP performance would bolster the party's position nationally; a weaker-than-expected result could embolden opposition parties ahead of any future national electoral cycle.

For expats living in Andalusia — including the large communities along the Costa del Sol, in Seville, and in Málaga — the election date is one to note, particularly for EU citizens who have the right to vote in Spanish regional elections under certain conditions.

Storm Therese: Canary Islands on Orange Alert

The Canary Islands continue to bear the brunt of Storm Therese, with the national weather agency AEMET maintaining orange alerts across the western islands for Tuesday. The storm has brought severe disruption: road closures, flight cancellations, and landslides have affected multiple islands, with some areas recording more than 300 litres of rainfall per square metre — an extraordinary figure that places the event firmly in the category of extreme weather.

Heavy downpours and thunderstorms are expected to continue through Tuesday as the system moves across the archipelago. Residents and visitors in affected areas are advised to follow local authority guidance, avoid flooded roads, and monitor AEMET alerts for the latest updates.

The Canary Islands, while geographically outside continental Europe and located off the northwest coast of Africa, are an autonomous community of Spain and a major destination for expats and winter-sun tourists from across northern Europe. Disruption to flights affects routes connecting the islands to the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.

This is a news roundup based on reporting from The Local Spain, published March 24, 2026. It is for informational purposes only.