Canary Islands Face Their Own Demographic Explosion

President Fernando Clavijo pledges to work toward a social‑political pact on demographic sustainability

The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, announced on Tuesday that his administration will intensively pursue a social and political agreement aimed at ensuring demographic sustainability across the archipelago. He warned that the region is grappling with “many structural problems” that are worsening in some cities due to rapid population growth and concentration, while other areas suffer from population loss.

During a parliamentary control session, Clavijo responded to a question from Casimiro Curbelo, deputy of the Agrupación Socialista Gomera (ASG), who asked whether a social‑political pact on demographic sustainability was necessary.

“Believe me, we not only take up the challenge, but this Canary government will work with all the intensity required for that agreement to be reached, because it is evident that there are many structural problems,” Clavijo said, thanking the ASG deputy and emphasizing the need to work hand in hand with everyone.

Deputy Curbelo’s Call for a Long‑Term Pact

Curbelo highlighted that the Canary Islands continue to experience collapses in public services—from emergency health care and hospitals to road infrastructure. He urged the creation of a pact that extends beyond the current legislative term, warning that without it the islands will perpetually face “the drama of demographic growth and collapses” until an “explosion” occurs.

“It is not about closing anything or anyone,” Curbelo clarified, “but about establishing fair rules for everyone to coexist in the Canary Islands in a reasonable way.”

The debate underscores the urgency of addressing divergent demographic trends—overcrowding in some municipalities and depopulation in others—and the need for a coordinated, long‑term strategy to safeguard the archipelago’s social and economic future.