Benahavis Emerges as the Richest Municipality in Malaga and Andalucia
Benahavis, a municipality in Malaga province, has been declared the wealthiest in the entire region of Andalucia. This is according to the latest figures released by the Tax Agency for the year 2021. The municipality, which is home to La Zagaleta, one of Spain’s most exclusive urbanisations, saw a significant 17% increase in its average gross per head income.
Malaga City Drops Out of Top Five
The Tax Agency’s statistics, which are based on personal income tax returns in 2021, feature municipalities with over 1,000 inhabitants. In a surprising turn of events, Malaga City has dropped out of the ‘top five’ list in Malaga province, falling from third to sixth position. Rincon de la Victoria remains in second place, while Marbella has climbed from fifth to third place.
Alhaurin de la Torre and Benalmadena Maintain Positions
Alhaurin de la Torre continues to hold its fourth position, while Benalmadena has moved up one spot to fifth position in the wealth rankings. These figures reflect a rise in the average income of Malaga province residents a year after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, mirroring the trend registered at the national level.
Income Levels Rise in Malaga Province
In 2021, the average gross income of the 751,989 Personal Income Tax filers in the area, which has 1.71 million inhabitants, reached €25,592. This is a 5.6% increase from the €24,214 reported in 2020. The figures from Benahavis are significantly higher, with 2,322 tax returns recording an average income of €41,967, making it the 40th richest municipality in Spain.
Contrasting Fortunes in Malaga Province
Rincon de la Victoria reported an average income of €30,869, but had substantially more declarations, 24,139 to be precise. On the other end of the spectrum, Almachar reported an average gross income of just €14,057, making it the tenth poorest municipality in the country. Despite this, disposable income across Malaga province rose by 4.8%, from €20,196 to €21,173.
