Balearic Islands: 86,000 live in severe poverty

Mallorca and the rest of Spain’s Balearic Islands are home to around 86,000 people in severe poverty: those living alone have less than 680 euros a month for basic needs. In a family with two adults and two children, the figure is less than 357 euros per person each month. Xavier Torrens, president of EAPN Baleares, presented the figures in Palma, Mallorca, on Friday 16 October. The report covers 2025.

Housing adds to the strain

Torrens said insecure housing and uncertain incomes were the main reasons people fall into poverty. He warned that the report misses some difficult living situations, including people sharing homes, living in single rooms or caravans, or having no home at all. The true number affected could therefore be higher.

He also pointed to growing demand for homes as the population rises. Torrens called for housing measures that work over the medium and long term to help people escape poverty.

A job is no longer enough

Torrens warned that employment no longer reliably keeps people out of poverty. Across the islands, 29.5% of people cannot cover an unexpected expense, while almost 38% struggle to make ends meet.

The gap reaches across the income scale: the highest-earning 20% receive 4.6 times as much income as the lowest-earning 20%.

Topics: Housing · Social affairs · Palma

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com