Andorra Head Caps Population Growth at 100,000 Amid Infrastructure Strain

Andorra's head of government, Xavier Espot, has stated that population growth beyond 100,000 residents is not feasible while preserving current quality-of-life standards. Speaking several weeks ago on the RTVA programme *El cap de Govern respon*, he noted that this threshold—equivalent to adding 11,119 people based on the latest Department of Statistics figures around 88,881—would match the size of a new parish like Encamp.

The remarks drew a sharp response from Rosa Gili, cònsol major of Escaldes-Engordany, who told the Andorran News Agency that existing infrastructure is already overwhelmed near the 90,000-resident mark, particularly with tourist influxes. She highlighted a government-commissioned road network study concluding the country is in collapse, with Carrer de la Unió as a critical bottleneck. "It can't take any more vehicles," Gili said, explaining that even slight crowds halt all movement through central areas, frustrating locals and tarnishing the image for visitors. "If I went on holiday, I wouldn't want to spend half the time in the car," she added.

Gili pointed to recent holiday periods, where higher-than-normal tourist numbers led to more incidents than in previous years, exacerbating strain on the near-90,000 population. Healthcare mirrors these pressures: earlier assessments capped growth at 5% due to capacity limits, yet waiting lists continue to lengthen and emergency services operate at breaking point.

Rather than debating hypothetical limits like 100,000, Gili urged authorities to conduct thorough analyses of bottlenecks, fix them first, and only then assess further expansion. She argued that caps should have been enacted once load-capacity studies flagged collapse, rather than allowing conditions to deteriorate to the current state.