In 2025, Spain once again recorded the highest child poverty rate in the European Union at 28.4%, standing 8.8 percentage points above the average, according to Eurostat data published by the European Anti-Poverty Network in Spain (EAPN-ES).
Furthermore, with a rate of 25.7%, Spain ranks fifth among the countries with the highest rates of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in the European Union (EU), behind Bulgaria (29%), Greece (27.5%), Romania (27.4%) and Lithuania (26.3%). 25.7% of the Spanish population – equivalent to almost 12.6 million people – were in this situation in 2025, compared to the European average of 20.9%. The lowest poverty rates were recorded in the Czech Republic (11.5%), Poland (15%) and Slovenia (15.5%).
In the case of the European population, a total of 92.7 million people were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, 600,000 fewer than in 2024. Women, particularly younger women or those with dependent children, had a higher rate than men (21.9% compared to 19.8%), whilst young people aged 18 to 24 had the highest level of risk (26.3%), followed by those under 18 (24.3%).
In terms of educational attainment, more than a third of those with the lowest levels of education were at risk (34.2%), compared with just 10.3% of those with higher education. The unemployed constitute the most vulnerable group, with 66.3% at risk of poverty or social exclusion, followed by the economically inactive (44.3%). In contrast, the risk is considerably lower among the employed population (10.9%) and the retired (17.6%).
The data, compiled by Europa Press, show that in Spain 11.2% of the employed population lives in poverty, which is the second-highest rate in the European Union, behind Bulgaria (11.5%). Furthermore, households with dependent children are more at risk (22.1%) than those consisting of adults only (19.8%). In Spain, almost three in ten people in households with children find themselves in this situation.
According to EAPN-ES, social transfers in Spain reduce poverty by 23.2%, a figure below the European average of 33.2% in 2025 and that of countries such as Belgium (52.6%), Ireland (51.5%), Poland (38.9%), France (38.5%), Germany (34.0%) or Italy (30.6%).
With regard to the proportion of the population facing high housing costs (more than 30% of their income), in Spain 7.2% of the population faces high housing costs, slightly less than the EU average of 7.7%. This proportion rises to 28.3% of people living in poverty in Spain and 29.1% in the EU.
EAPN-ES is calling for the “urgent adoption of effective measures to combat structural poverty”, including redistributive fiscal policies and housing solutions. It is also demanding a European Strategy for Combating Poverty that is “ambitious, comprehensive and firmly based on a human rights approach”.