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yesterday

Spain’s Regions Cut Social Spending Share to 59% as State Budgets Stall

An independent watchdog reports that 2024 increases in overall regional budgets coincided with a cut in social allocations, widening territorial gaps.

Vuelta al cole en el Institut Escola Canyelles de BarcelonaOtix_223636940.jpg
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Juanma Moreno, en un acto en el hospital Reina Sofía de Córdoba
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Overview

  • The share of autonomous community budgets devoted to health, education and social services fell from 67.4% in 2010 to 59.1% in 2024, according to the Asociación de Directoras y Gerentes de Servicios Sociales.
  • In 2024 regional budgets grew by about €9.75 billion while total allocations to social policies declined by €2.364 billion from the previous year.
  • The absence of approved national State budgets in 2024 and 2025 removed a corrective effect that previously helped equalize regional social spending, producing what the association calls a parón.
  • Per‑capita social investment varies widely, from roughly €2,703 in the Community of Madrid to about €4,500 in Navarra and €4,343 in the Basque Country, with Extremadura also high at €4,124.
  • Since 2020 spending on social policies rose only 14.5% versus 62% for other items, and five‑year growth has been uneven, led by Extremadura, the Canary Islands and Navarra, with Catalonia, Murcia and Madrid at the low end.