Mallorca: Balearics social spending drops €62.7

Public social-service spending across Mallorca and the Balearic Islands fell by €62.7 per person in 2024. The combined outlay by the Balearic Government, island councils and town halls dropped from €416 to €353 per resident, a fall of 15.1%. The DEC 2025 index puts the islands 14th among Spain’s autonomous communities for developing social services.

The Association of Social Services Directors and Managers classes the Balearics among regions with weak or irrelevant services. It says 42% of Spain’s population — about 20 million people, including Balearic citizens — live in such regions.

A shrinking share of public budgets

The cut was not limited to the amount spent per person. Social services accounted for 6.10% of the Balearic public budget in 2024, down from 7.39% a year earlier — a decrease of 1.29 points.

All three of the report’s economic measures worsened in the islands and remained below the Spanish average. Across Spain, public administrations spent €575.1 per person on social services in 2024, €27 more than the previous year.

Home help remains limited

The report also flags limited progress in home-help services across Spain. The share of people receiving support at home has risen from 4.7% in 2010 to 5.8%, while the average allocation stands at 21.1 hours a month.

For home help provided through the dependency-care system, the average is 38 hours a month. People assessed at Grade III receive 65.5 hours, which the association says is clearly insufficient.

The group hopes the position will improve after Congress gave final approval on Wednesday to a reform of the dependency law and after increased dependency-care funding was approved in July 2026.

Topics: Social affairs · Politics · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com