Thousands of people rallied in central Madrid on Sunday (May 24, 2026) against spiralling housing costs that have priced many Spaniards out of the housing market despite a recent economic boom, particularly in cities such as the capital and Barcelona.

Spain’s housing crisis is one of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s main political vulnerabilities before elections in 2027.

The country has a strong tradition of home ownership and scant public housing for rent, while rents have been driven up by increased demand, including due to tourism and population growth linked to immigration, analysts say.

The protesters chanted slogans and held banners highlighting their right to housing. “We want neighbours, not tourists,” one banner read.

Buying a home in Spain has become unaffordable for many, with market pressures and speculation driving up prices, especially in big cities and coastal areas.

Last month, Spain’ s government passed a sweeping plan worth 7 billion euros ($8.23 billion) to build more public housing over the next four years and provide help for young renters and homebuyers, among the hardest hit by high rental and home costs.

A separate decree that would have extended temporary rent freezes did not pass Parliament, exposing the Sánchez government in the short term to more housing-related discontent.

Over the last few years, Spaniards have taken to the streets in numerous demonstrations across the country to protest high rental and home costs. A top demand is that the government crack down further on tourist rentals that have proliferated in city centres across Spain, which received a record 97 million international visitors last year.

Housing costs rose nearly 13% year-on-year at the end of 2025, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

The Bank of Spain estimates the Southern European nation of 50 million is short of 700,000 homes, comparing demand to the pace of new construction.

A small group of protesters tried to break ​through barriers around the residence ‌of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro ​Sanchez on Saturday (May 23, 2026) during ⁠a mass rally calling for him to resign after a series of corruption scandals.

Police ‌detained a group of masked people on the ‌main road approaching Madrid’s Moncloa ‌Palace, ⁠where Mr. Sanchez lives with his family, ⁠images on Spanish television showed.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators carried banners marked with “Resignation ​of the socialist ‌mafia” and other slogans, alongside scores of Spanish gold and red flags in the March for Dignity, ‌organised by the Spanish ​Civil Society association.

Leaders from the opposition People’s Party and ⁠the far-right Vox party also took part in the largely peaceful ‌march.

A Spanish court announced on Tuesday that former Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was being investigated for allegedly leading an influence-peddling and money-laundering network, ‌in another blow to the leftist government ​beset by corruption scandals.

Mr. Zapatero, a key ally of the ⁠current Prime Minister, denied any wrongdoing on ⁠Tuesday (May 19).

Organisers said 80,000 people had taken part in the ‌protest, though the Spanish government representative in Madrid put the number ​at about 40,000.