Tens of thousands of people across Spain took to the streets on Saturday to protest the country’s surging housing costs, expressing deep frustration over a crisis that shows no signs of easing.
According to government figures, approximately 15,000 demonstrators marched in Madrid. However, protest organisers claimed the turnout was ten times higher. In Barcelona, the local government reported a crowd of 12,000, while organisers said over 100,000 people joined the protest.
Nearly all of Spain’s provincial capitals and major cities have joined the call for decent and affordable housing, with further rallies held on Saturday in Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Seville, Santander – as well as in the Canary Islands.
Around 40 cities in total (see full list below) throughout Spain witnessed widespread participation, as citizens responded to calls from activists demanding decent, affordable housing. The protests were led by housing rights groups and strongly supported by the country’s leading trade unions, amplifying pressure on Spain’s minority coalition government and local administrations.
The organisers are calling for immediate action: rent reductions, a solution for Spain’s 3.8 million vacant homes, the banning of eviction firms, protection against evictions for vulnerable families without alternative housing options, and the safeguarding of the housing protest movement’s right to voice dissent.
Spain’s housing challenges are particularly acute, given a culture rooted in home ownership and a limited supply of public rental housing. Soaring demand has pushed up rental prices, while buying a home has become unattainable for many. Market speculation and investor interest have further inflated property values, especially in metropolitan and coastal areas.
The Tenants’ Union of Spain, one of the many groups involved in organising the demonstrations, said that ‘exorbitant rents are the main cause of impoverishment of the working class and a barrier to accessing housing’, adding that a ‘rent-seeking’ minority is profiting while ‘economically suffocating a large part of society’.
Young adults in particular say they’re trapped – forced to live with parents or share expensive flats with others, often unable to save enough to ever buy a home. Even individuals in traditionally secure, well-paying jobs are finding it difficult to cover basic housing costs.
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez expressed solidarity with the demonstrators on X (formerly Twitter), writing, ‘I share the demand of the numerous people who have marched today: that homes are for living in and not for speculating.’
Rental prices in Spain have nearly doubled over the past decade. According to real estate portal Idealista, the average cost per square metre has climbed from €7.2 in 2014 to €13 in 2023, with steeper increases in cities like Madrid and Barcelona.
Despite Spain experiencing an economic upswing in recent years, wage growth has lagged – particularly among young people – compounded by persistently high unemployment.
Unlike many of its European counterparts, Spain has invested little in public rental housing. Only about 2% of the country’s housing stock is designated for public rent, placing Spain near the bottom among OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations. By contrast, the OECD average is 7%, while France offers 14%, the UK 16%, and the Netherlands 34%.
Frustrated renters are also alarmed by the role of international investors, particularly hedge funds, purchasing large numbers of homes, often turning them into tourist accommodations. The backlash has prompted political responses; Barcelona’s municipal government, for instance, announced plans last year to eliminate all 10,000 of its short-term rental permits by 2028 — many of which are listed on platforms like Airbnb. ALSO READ: Barcelona wants to revoke all city’s 10,101 tourist apartment licences by Nov 2028.
Protesters in Madrid were heard chanting, ‘Get Airbnb out of our neighbourhoods’, while in Barcelona, one marcher held a sign that read, ‘I am not leaving, vampire’, a pointed message to real estate speculators viewed as forcing locals out. ALSO READ: Consumer affairs ministry identifies over 15,000 illegal tourist flats in Madrid.
Spain’s coalition government, led by the PSOE socialists, has already taken some steps to curb rising housing costs. These include rent controls for existing tenants and restrictions on price hikes in so-called ‘stressed rental markets’, with regional governments empowered to implement the measures. Officials say these rules have led to a modest dip in rents in Barcelona – one of the few regions where they’ve been enforced. ALSO READ: Spanish government to limit short-term rentals and tourist flats to address housing crisis.
In January, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez unveiled a set of new policy proposals to address the housing crunch, including a potential ban or heavy tax on non-resident, non-EU property buyers. While some of these plans require parliamentary approval, others can be enacted directly. ALSO READ: Spanish government now proposes to ban home purchases by non-EU buyers.
ALSO READ: Tens of thousands protest high rents and housing crunch in Barcelona.
ALSO READ: Sánchez announces new housing measures, including limiting non-residents from buying property.
ALSO READ: Lack of affordable housing and threat of mass tenants’ strike puts pressure on Spanish government.
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