The province on the Costa del Sol is increasingly becoming one of Spain’s most important hubs for self-employed workers. Over the past decade, the number of autónomos in Málaga has risen by 33.2 per cent, putting the province well ahead of the Spanish average. The strongest growth has been recorded in the property, professional services, construction, transport and logistics sectors.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
146,234 self-employed workers in Málaga
According to the latest figures from Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, there are now 146,234 self-employed workers in the province of Málaga. Compared with 2016, this represents an increase of 33.2 per cent.
This means that the number of self-employed workers in Málaga has grown more than three times as fast as in Spain as a whole. Nationwide, the increase over the same period was just 8.34 per cent. In concrete terms, Málaga now has 36,453 more self-employed workers than it did ten years ago.
Málaga also ranks highly in absolute numbers
Málaga leads all Spanish provinces in percentage growth. However, when looking at the absolute increase in the number of self-employed workers, Málaga ranks second behind Madrid. Over the past decade, Madrid has added 69,171 self-employed workers, compared with 36,453 in Málaga and 33,586 in Barcelona.
With a total of 146,234 autónomos, Málaga is now Spain’s fifth-largest province in terms of the number of self-employed workers. At the same time, it ranks sixth in terms of population. Málaga also leads the way within Andalusia, ahead of Seville, which has 122,629 self-employed workers.
Growth has recently lost some momentum
Despite the impressive growth seen over the past decade, there has been a slight slowdown more recently. Over the past twelve months, the number of self-employed workers in Málaga has increased by 3.3 per cent. This currently places the province third, behind Alicante and Valencia.
In absolute terms, 4,634 autónomos were added during this period, putting Málaga in fifth place, behind Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante. So far in 2026, Málaga has also continued to grow faster than the Spanish average, with an increase of 2.15 per cent, compared with 1.35 per cent nationwide. However, this is enough for only seventh place in the ranking.
Trade remains the largest sector despite decline
The trade sector remains the largest area among self-employed workers. In July 2026, 27,252 autónomos were working in the sector. However, their number has fallen by 12.7 per cent over the past decade.
This makes the trade sector an exception to Málaga’s otherwise largely positive development. Nevertheless, the decline is significantly smaller than the Spanish average: nationwide, the number of self-employed traders has fallen by more than 20 per cent over the past decade.
Construction sector grows by 45 per cent
Construction comes second, with 16,785 self-employed workers. Here, the picture is very different from that of the trade sector. Compared with 2016, the number of autónomos in Málaga’s construction sector has increased by 45 per cent.
Nationwide, however, growth was significantly lower, at 13.8 per cent.
Professional services are booming
Professional, scientific and technical activities rank third, with 15,685 self-employed workers now operating in Málaga in this sector. Their number has risen by an impressive 80 per cent over the past decade. Here too, Málaga is well ahead of the national trend, with growth in this sector across Spain as a whole reaching just 36 per cent.
Other service sectors are also developing dynamically. More than 8,000 self-employed workers are now engaged in administrative activities and other support services – an increase of more than 40 per cent since 2016.
Health and education see strong growth
The number of self-employed workers in the health and social care sector has also risen significantly. There are now more than 7,000 autónomos working in the sector, representing an increase of around 55 per cent over the past decade.
The education sector has grown even more strongly. There are now nearly 4,500 self-employed workers in the sector, around 85 per cent more than in 2016.
Hospitality continues to grow despite national decline
The hospitality sector ranks fourth among the most important areas for self-employed workers in Málaga. There are 15,395 autónomos working in hospitality and catering across the province. Their number has increased by 8.5 per cent over the past decade.
Málaga also differs significantly from the national trend in this respect. Across Spain as a whole, the number of self-employed workers in this sector fell by 1.15 per cent over the same period.
Property sector sees spectacular growth
The development in the property sector is particularly striking. The number of self-employed workers in this field in Málaga has nearly tripled over the past decade, representing an increase of 190 per cent. There are now 8,731 self-employed workers operating in the sector.
Nationwide, the sector has also seen strong growth, with an increase of 136 per cent. Málaga, however, is once again well ahead of the Spanish average.
Logistics and telecommunications also see strong growth
The upswing is not limited to the property and services sectors. There are now almost 8,500 self-employed workers in transport and logistics in Málaga. Compared with 2016, this represents an increase of around 40 per cent. This growth is partly linked to the rise of online shopping and the growing importance of goods distribution.
Information and telecommunications have also seen strong growth. The number of self-employed workers in this sector in Málaga has more than doubled over the past decade and now stands at more than 4,200.
Málaga benefits from broad-based economic growth
The figures reveal a remarkable shift in the province’s economic structure. Málaga’s strength in the self-employment sector can no longer be explained solely by tourism and the hospitality industry. While traditional sectors such as retail remain under pressure, numerous other industries are showing extremely dynamic growth.
This is particularly evident in the real estate sector, which has grown by 190 percent over the course of ten years. Strong growth was also recorded in the fields of education (85 percent), professional, scientific, and technical services (80 percent), health and social services (55 percent), construction (45 percent), and transport and logistics (40 percent). In the information and telecommunications sectors, the number of self-employed individuals has even more than doubled.
A clear pattern emerges: sectors that are losing momentum across Spain as a whole often prove more resilient in Málaga, while booming industries on the Costa del Sol are in some cases growing even more strongly than the national average.
A decade with an impressive track record
Even though Málaga has recently lost some ground in the rankings, its long-term performance remains exceptional. With 146,234 self-employed individuals and growth of 33.2 percent over ten years, Málaga leads Spain in terms of percentage growth.
The current slowdown therefore does little to alter the overall picture: over the past decade, the province has developed into one of Spain’s most dynamic locations for the self-employed—and the upswing is now spreading across an increasing number of economic sectors.
