Barcelona’s social housing market came under more pressure in 2025, with registrations in the metropolitan area rising by 22.47% compared with the previous year. The figures, confirmed by the Agència de l’Habitatge de Catalunya, point to a growing struggle to find affordable homes across the city and its surrounding towns.
The rise affects Vivienda de Protección Oficial, or VPO, and goes beyond Barcelona itself. Even with rent regulation in Barcelona, tenant costs continued to rise in 24 of the 36 municipalities in the metropolitan area, according to recent balances.
In Barcelona city alone, 100,179 people were on the public housing list in March 2025. Across the five counties of Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Maresme, Vallès Occidental and Vallès Oriental, active registrations rose from 84,923 at the end of 2024 to 104,004 by the end of 2025.
Most of the 36 municipalities in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area saw higher demand. Sant Boi de Llobregat recorded the biggest rise, up 89.84% to 1,420 active applications. Sant Just Desvern followed with an 84.71% increase, while Badalona, Gavà, El Prat de Llobregat and several other towns also posted sharp gains. A few places, including Castelldefels and Pallejà, saw demand fall.
The pattern was not limited to the metro area. In the Arc Metropolità, the waiting list grew by 23.86% in 2025, with Martorell up 181.46%. Further afield, Reus, Girona and Tarragona all recorded higher demand, while Lleida was the only major centre to see a fall. For readers following local housing policy, our Community coverage tracks the wider impact across the city and surrounding area.
By province, social housing applications rose by 79.15% in Camp de Tarragona municipalities, 30.36% in the Girona counties, 22.2% in Central Catalonia, 21% in Penedès and 9.11% in Alt Pirineu i Vall Aran. The data points to a wider affordability problem across Catalonia, with pressure on public housing likely to remain high.
