Statistics taken from the January 2009 municipal census show that the population of Menorca has risen to 93,915, compared to 70,825 in 1999, an increase of 33%. For the first time in ten years, the number of inhabitants in the Ciutadella district has outstripped that of Maó, 29,160 in the former case and 29,125 in the latter.
In percentage terms, the district of Es Mercadal has seen the biggest growth in population, 2009's figure of 5,292 being 83% higher than the 2,896 recorded a decade earlier. The period between 2004 and 2008 saw 1,290 new arrivals in the municipal district, an increase of 34%. A similar story was repeated in most of the island's other districts, coinciding with an influx of immigrants.
Taking the island as a whole, the population count increased 13% between 2004 and 2009, from 82,872 to 93,915, with Ciutadella growing by 12% and Maó by 10%. There was a more marked increase in other areas, such as Sant Lluís where the figure was 29%. Alaior and Es Castell saw similar growth, 11% and 12% respectively, Es Migjorn was slightly higher at 17%, while Ferreries was at the bottom of the table with just 8%. Es Mercadal was again the municipal district that experienced the largest percentage increase, with 38% over the five year period.
The twelve months from 2008 to 2009 saw a stabilisation in the island's population, with only 1,481 newcomers, probably as a result of the economic crisis and shortage of jobs.
In the Balearic Islands as a whole the population has increased by 33% over the last decade to just over the million mark, a total of 1,095,426.