By the Numbers: Swedish Buyers on the Costa del Sol in 2025

Based on notary reports for the 2025 calendar year, Swedish buyers ranked in the top five foreign nationalities across five Costa del Sol municipalities. Here’s how they performed in each:

• Fuengirola – 1st place at 12.7%, representing 156 transactions
• Benahavís – 2nd place at 10.2%, representing 62 transactions
• Marbella – 3rd place at 8.1%, representing 221 transactions
• Estepona – 4th place at 6.5%, representing 159 transactions
• Mijas – 5th place at 6.0%, representing 125 transactions

Across these five municipalities, Swedish buyers completed a combined 721 property transactions in 2025. Swedish buyers did not rank in the top five foreign nationalities in Sotogrande (CP 11310), Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Casares, or Manilva, so the breakdowns to follow do not account for these municipalities unless otherwise stated.

Resident vs. Non-Resident Breakdown

According to 2025 notary data for the Málaga province, there were 1020 recorded transactions by Swedish buyers, of which   83% are non-residents, with the remaining 17% registered as residents in Spain.

Across the five municipalities above – which represented 71% of total purchases b Swedes last year – approximately four out of five Swedish buyers are non-resident, confirming that this segment is primarily cross-border capital rather than locally domiciled Scandinavian households already living in Spain.

Marbella

In Marbella, 81.4% of Swedish buyers are non-resident, with only 18.6% classified as resident. This reinforces Marbella’s position as an international second-home and investment destination for Swedish purchasers rather than a relocation-driven market.

Estepona

Estepona shows a very similar structure: 81.8% non-resident versus 18.2% resident. Despite Estepona’s strong foreign penetration overall, the Swedish profile mirrors Marbella closely in terms of cross-border dominance.

Benahavís

Benahavís stands out slightly. While non-residents still represent the majority at 72.6%, the resident share rises to 27.4% – the highest among the five municipalities. This may reflect a higher proportion of established Swedish households already living in Spain trading within the luxury segment.

Mijas

Mijas records the lowest resident share of the group, with just 14.4% of Swedish buyers classified as resident. At 84.8% non-resident, the market here appears particularly reliant on Sweden-based capital inflow.

Fuengirola

Fuengirola, traditionally popular with Scandinavian communities, still shows a strong non-resident bias: 82.1% non-resident versus 17.9% resident. Even in a municipality known for long-established Nordic populations, the bulk of current Swedish transactions are cross-border.

How many Swedes are registered?  Official municipal register reports 2,033 Swedish nationals in Marbella, with an increase of 258 people in 2025, according to Sur in English.

My view:

Why these figures are “Low” compared to the street feel

If you visit Nueva Andalucía (Marbella), it feels like there are 10,000 Swedes, not 2,000. There are two main reasons for this discrepancy:

1. The 183-Day Rule: Many Swedes spend exactly 180 days in Spain to avoid becoming Spanish tax residents. Because they aren’t tax residents, they often neglect to register on the padrón, even though they are legally required to if they live here more than 90 days.

2. Province-Wide Context: According to 2025 provincial data, there are 9,978 Swedes registered in the entire Málaga Province. The five towns mentioned above account for roughly 65%-70% of all Swedes in the region.

The “Floating” Population

Local Swedish business owners estimate the “real” number of Swedes living in these five towns during the winter months is closer to 20,000–25,000. This includes:

• Digital Nomads: Younger Swedes working remotely who haven’t registered yet.

• Winter Residents: Retirees who keep their primary residence in Sweden.

• Property Owners: Swedes who own the ~1,200 properties purchased by Swedish nationals last year but only use them as second homes.

Statistical methodology by Spains Notaries in calculating this information is available here