Ibiza and Formentera are recording the highest proportion of extraordinary building legalisations in the Balearic Islands, according to the latest figures from the Official College of Architects of the Balearic Islands (COAIB).

During the first half of 2026, the Pitiusas registered 1,080 architectural projects submitted for approval, but almost 42% of them were linked to extraordinary legalisation procedures for existing buildings rather than conventional new construction.

The figures have renewed attention on the way extraordinary planning regularisation is influencing construction statistics at a time when Ibiza and Formentera are facing an acute housing shortage.

Almost 42% of Projects Are Extraordinary Legalisations

The COAIB's Building Observatory recorded 1,080 projects in Ibiza and Formentera during the first six months of 2026.

Of these, 627 were projects outside the extraordinary legalisation process, while 453 concerned the regularisation of existing buildings.

That means approximately 42% of all projects registered in the Pitiusas during the first half of the year were extraordinary legalisations.

The proportion is the highest of the three island groups included in the COAIB comparison.

On Mallorca, extraordinary legalisations represented around 31% of registered projects, with 2,087 out of 6,728 linked to regularisation.

On Menorca, the proportion was significantly lower at around 19%, with 156 of 824 projects falling into this category.

The Impact Is Even Greater for Detached Homes

The influence of legalisation procedures becomes even more pronounced when looking specifically at detached residential properties.

Ibiza and Formentera recorded 429 detached-home projects during the first half of 2026.

However, once extraordinary legalisations are removed from the calculation, the figure falls to 198.

In other words, around 54% of the detached-home projects registered in the Pitiusas were related to the regularisation of buildings that already existed rather than the creation of new homes.

Again, this was the highest proportion among the Balearic Islands.

Mallorca recorded a proportion of just over 50%, while Menorca stood at approximately 48%.

The figures demonstrate how strongly the extraordinary legalisation process is affecting headline construction data, particularly in the detached-home sector.

Construction Activity Exceeds €536 Million

Despite the significant role played by legalisation procedures, construction activity in Ibiza and Formentera remains economically substantial.

The total budget of projects registered by architects in the Pitiusas during the first half of 2026 exceeded €536 million.

The projects represented approximately 570,000 square metres of registered building area.

These figures include different types of construction and renovation activity rather than only residential development.

They show that the islands continue to generate considerable activity within the building sector, even though the composition of that activity is an important factor when interpreting the data.

805 New Homes Registered

The COAIB figures also record 805 newly created housing units in Ibiza and Formentera during the first six months of the year.

Of these, 376 were free-market units in multi-family developments.

The overall figure for new housing therefore remains significant, but the comparison with the legalisation data highlights an important distinction between creating additional housing supply and regularising buildings that were already in existence.

An extraordinary legalisation can bring an existing property into planning compliance under the applicable exceptional process, but it does not create a new residential unit in the same sense as a newly constructed home.

Legalisation Can Make Construction Growth Look Stronger

The latest figures follow a pattern already identified by the COAIB in its analysis of 2025.

Last year, the Pitiusas recorded 865 registered building projects, representing growth of around 32% compared with 2024.

However, 215 of those projects were extraordinary legalisations.

When those cases were excluded, the underlying growth in construction activity was considerably more modest.

The same effect is now visible in the first half of 2026, suggesting that the increase in the number of registered projects cannot be interpreted simply as a boom in new construction.

Instead, part of the apparent increase reflects a temporary rise in administrative regularisation activity.

What Are Extraordinary Legalisations?

The extraordinary legalisation system was introduced through the Balearic Islands' recent planning legislation as a mechanism for addressing certain existing unauthorised buildings on rural land.

The framework allows eligible property owners to seek regularisation under specific conditions and within defined procedures.

It is not a general amnesty covering every illegal construction.

Applications must meet the requirements established by the legislation and remain subject to administrative assessment.

The process has nevertheless generated a significant number of professional projects because property owners seeking regularisation generally need technical documentation and architectural work as part of their applications.

That activity is then reflected in the COAIB's statistics.

Housing Crisis Makes the Figures Particularly Significant

The timing of the latest data is important.

Ibiza and Formentera are experiencing some of the most severe housing affordability pressures in Spain, with residents and workers facing high purchase prices, expensive rents and limited availability.

Against that background, the distinction between new construction and regularisation becomes particularly relevant.

A higher number of projects appearing in construction statistics does not necessarily translate into a comparable increase in the number of homes available to people looking for permanent accommodation.

The COAIB itself highlights the shortage of affordable and protected housing as the main challenge facing the Balearic residential market.

More Construction Does Not Automatically Mean More Affordable Housing

The architects' figures underline a broader problem within the islands' housing debate.

Ibiza and Formentera can register substantial construction activity while still struggling to provide homes that are affordable for local residents.

Part of the reason is that the market is not producing housing exclusively for permanent residential use.

New private homes, renovations, tourist-related projects and the regularisation of existing buildings can all contribute to construction activity without necessarily increasing the supply of affordable accommodation.

The COAIB therefore warns that increased construction activity alone is not enough to resolve the housing needs of the islands.

The Balearics Are Seeing More Building Activity Overall

The Pitiusas are not an isolated case.

The COAIB's wider data show that construction activity across the Balearic Islands has been rising.

However, the composition of that growth varies considerably between territories.

In Ibiza and Formentera, extraordinary legalisations have a particularly strong statistical impact, meaning the headline number of registered projects needs to be read alongside the breakdown between new construction and regularisation.

The distinction is especially important when construction statistics are used as an indicator of whether the housing crisis is improving.

What the Numbers Say About Ibiza and Formentera

The first-half figures provide a clear snapshot of the current situation.

There were 1,080 registered architectural projects in Ibiza and Formentera, with 453 associated with extraordinary legalisation procedures.

There were 429 detached-home projects, but only 198 remained once legalisations were excluded.

The islands registered 805 newly created housing units and generated more than €536 million in registered construction budgets across approximately 570,000 square metres.

Taken together, the figures point to an active building sector, but one heavily influenced by the regularisation of existing properties.

The Affordable Housing Challenge Remains

The central issue for Ibiza and Formentera is therefore not simply how many projects are being registered.

The more important question is how many homes are actually being created and made available to residents at prices compatible with local incomes.

The COAIB's Building Observatory has stressed that the increase in construction activity does not, by itself, solve the residential market's underlying problems.

The shortage of affordable and protected housing remains the principal challenge, particularly as demand continues to grow.

A Construction Boom With an Important Qualification

The latest COAIB data show that Ibiza and Formentera are experiencing a strong level of building-related activity in 2026, but the headline figures come with an important qualification.

Almost half of all registered projects in the first six months of the year were extraordinary legalisations, while more than half of the detached-home projects fell into the same category.

That means the construction figures cannot simply be read as evidence of a corresponding boom in new housing.

For Ibiza and Formentera, the numbers reveal two very different realities at the same time: a highly active construction and property sector, and a continuing shortage of affordable homes for the people who live and work on the islands.

The latest figures suggest that regularising existing buildings has become a major part of the construction landscape, while the challenge of producing genuinely affordable housing remains unresolved.