Poverty indicators are improving and the Balearic Islands went from 22.4% of the population affected (in 2021) to 21.5% last year, which implies more than 263,000 people.
The region is in eighth place when compared with the rest of the autonomous communities, according to the Report on the State of Poverty in the Autonomous Communities presented on Monday by the EAPN (European Anti Poverty Network), an independent coalition of NGOs and other groups involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion in the member states of the European Union.
The Balearic Islands has increased the income per person per year, although it is still below the national average, but it lowers the items related to housing expenses, i.e. it costs more to pay the rent or mortgage, electricity or air conditioning bills... For example, 25% of people have fallen behind on their mortgage payments, 8% more than in the previous year; or 7.4% of the population cannot afford to eat meat or fish (protein) every other day, a percentage that is 4.5% higher than in 2021.
On the other hand, and compared to 2015 which is the reference year of the study to achieve the Agenda 2030 target, the Balearic Islands improved overall and especially among the most vulnerable population, reducing the severe poverty rate by 8.4%.
According to EAPN Baleares, in 2022 the action of public administrations managed to contain poverty, "without public contributions, two fifths of the population would place their income below the poverty line", they explain in a statement. The study calculates that in the absence of transfers from the communities, the poverty rate in the Balearic Islands would reach 26.8 % of the population.