The Spanish real estate market has been dragging a structural deficit of more than 730,000 homes since 2021, according to CaixaBank Research. In this period, only 474,000 units were completed compared to the creation of 1.2 million new households. This gap, worsened by global economic uncertainty, is best visualized in 3D: provinces such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, and Murcia concentrate half of the new construction deficit, while construction does not always occur where it is most needed.
Methodology for the 3D visualization of the deficit by province 📊
To represent this imbalance, we propose a three-dimensional bar chart where each province is a vertical prism. The height of the bar represents the accumulated deficit (supply minus demand), while the width and depth encode the population and the housing effort rate. Stressed provinces (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia) are marked with 3D heat maps in red-orange tones. Additionally, we include an animated chart that tracks the evolution of sales from 2021 to 2025, showing the peak of 714,200 transactions in 2025 (+11.5%). Data from the Bank of Spain on the drop in homeownership to 70.6% is integrated as a floating trend line over the time axis.
Why doesn't construction follow demand? 🤔
The paradox is evident: in areas like Tarragona or Murcia, new building permits cover less than 10% of the deficit, while in Seville or Navarre, construction activity is comparatively higher. Local land restrictions, urban planning regulations, and rising material costs explain this territorial heterogeneity. Our 3D visualization allows users to rotate the map and select each province to see its coverage ratio, revealing that the problem is not just one of volume, but of location. As a result, prices will continue to rise, limiting access for young people and families with lower assets.
What 3D metrics would you use to show supply vs demand in the sector? 🏠