According to data compiled by the Brainsre big data real estate platform, each Spaniard has an average of 42.73 square metres of space in their respective homes, where an average of 2.51 people live. In terms of the locations with the most square metres per person, the regions with large rural areas stand out. But what about the large capitals? How much space do the residents of the most populated cities in Spain have?
Madrid
The differences between the ten largest cities in the country are substantial. In this way, the 3.26 million inhabitants in Madrid have between 27 and 45 square metres of space per person, according to data collected by Brainsre.
Those who live in the Moncloa-Aravaca, Chamberí and Salamanca districts enjoy an average of more than 46 square metres per person. “They are the most expensive areas with the highest purchasing power, and they enjoy the most square metres per inhabitant,” explains Antonio Ramudo, RE Data Scientist.
Next are the districts of Chamartín, Centro and Retiro, with more than 40 square metres per inhabitant. In the case of the second, it is the district with the lowest number of people per dwelling, 1.91 on average. “Centro is the area that has experienced the greatest population decrease in recent years, along with Moratalaz. That is why the number of inhabitants per home is so low there”, points out Ramudo.
The residents of Hortaleza, where several recently built neighbourhoods are located, such as Sanchinarro and Valdebebas, as well as the Conde Orgaz luxury housing area, have almost 39 square metres per person and a ratio of 2.53 residents per home. The population growth of this district has been 8%. The Fuencarral-El Pardo area, which encompasses the new developments of Montecarmelo and Las Tablas, is in a similar situation; there, the average area per person is 36.62 square metres, with an average 2.64 inhabitants per home. Barajas and Arganzuela also exceed 36 square metres per person.
Ciudad Lineal, Tetuán, San Blas-Canillejas, Villa de Vallecas, Usera and Latina all have an average of between 31 and 33 square metres per person per home. Touching on 30 square metres per person, but not quite, is the Vicálvaro area, where each home has an average of 2.79 inhabitants.
Meanwhile, Villaverde, Puente de Vallecas and Carabanchel, with 27.2, 28 and 28.8 square metres respectively, are amongst the districts with the least surface area per person per home. Precisely, Villaverde is the district with the least amount of space per inhabitant on average of all of Spain’s large cities, second only to the Rekalde area in Bilbao, where the average space per person is 26.2 square metres.
Barcelona
The districts of the Catalan capital have average surface areas per person of between 28 and 53 square metres. Amongst the most comfortable for this lockdown are the residents of Sarriá district, with 53.13 square metres each, in homes where the average population is 2.6. “Despite having the highest ratio of inhabitants per home in Barcelona, Sarriá is also the district that offers the most square metres to each of its inhabitants. It has a high percentage of single-family houses, which increases the ratio of m² per inhabitant”, indicates the RE Data Scientist from Aura REE.
In the Barcelona district of Eixample, residents have almost 48 square metres each, representing a similar ratio to the Salamanca district of Madrid. It is followed by Gracia, with around 43 m² per person. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the districts of Nou Barris, with just over 28 square metres per inhabitant and an average rate of 2.5 people in each home.
Valencia
Meanwhile, in Valencia, the Eixample district is the one whose inhabitants have the largest surface area for coping with the lockdown: 58 square metres in homes where fewer than two people live on average. “Although it is not the district with the largest dwellings, it is the district with the fewest inhabitants per home in the city, which increases the ratio of square metres enjoyed by each inhabitant,” says Ramudo.
By contrast, Rascaña and Benicalap are the districts in Valencia where residents have the least space per person: 34.5 and 34 square metres, respectively.
Sevilla
The Andalucían capital, the fourth most populous city in Spain, has some districts with almost 55 square metres per person such as in Los Remedios. That compares with 30 m² in Cerro Amate, Este, Alcosa and Torreblanca. “The latter is the district with the largest population increase and the newest residential stock in Sevilla. It is mainly inhabited by families, with an average of three members per household, which reduces the ratio of square meters per inhabitant”.
Málaga
Another Andalucían city, in this case, Malaga, holds the record for the district with the most space for its residents of all of Spain’s large cities, namely, Centro, with more than 73 square metres per person. “Centro has been losing its population and, every year, there are fewer, increasingly older, inhabitants per dwelling”, explains Ramudo. The average number of people per home in this district of Málaga is 1.65.
Zaragoza
Like in Malaga, the Centro district of Zaragoza is where there is the most space per person with just over 53 square metres. That figure is slightly below the same area of Palma de Mallorca, where the average reached 57 m². “Thanks to the average size of its housing stock, which is much larger than that of the other districts, the centre of Palma offers its residents much more space at home,” says the expert from Aura REE.
The experts point out that the lockdown, in which 46.6 million Spaniards are currently immersed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, has caused many people to begin to value their choice of home differently. In this way, whilst until now, a central location was one of the most desired qualities, such properties are usually smaller and that is an important factor to take into account now, since it is where we are spending all day every day and where we will be for the foreseeable future.
