Particle.news
Download on the App Store

FOESSA Report Finds Housing Driving Social Exclusion for One in Five in Madrid

The 2024 study says job growth has not eased inequality because stagnant wages plus high rents erode household stability.

Overview

  • FOESSA and Cáritas report that 19.6% of Madrileños—about 1.3 million people—face social exclusion, down 2.5 points since 2021 yet still above pre-pandemic levels with 230,000 more affected than in 2018.
  • Housing emerges as the main driver, affecting 23% of the population, with rents up 24% since 2018 and more than one million people in insecure or inadequate homes, including 400,000 in insecure tenure and 700,000 in overcrowded or insalubrious conditions.
  • More than half of rental households spend over 30% of their budget on housing, and one in six households—around 390,000—falls below the severe poverty threshold after paying basic expenses.
  • Employment has grown 15% since 2018 and unemployment has fallen to about 9%, yet 11% of households face employment-related exclusion due to severe instability, involuntary part-time work or joblessness.
  • Vulnerability is concentrated among minors (27%), migrants (45%) and single-parent households (39.9%), while the national Minimum Vital Income reaches only 42% of people in severe poverty in Madrid.