Catalonia, among the regions that invest the least in social policies
After Covid, the Education budget has only increased by 8%, the smallest increase of all territories.
BarcelonaIn the wake of the pandemic, the Generalitat (Catalan government) has increased investment in social policies to address the social crisis resulting from restrictive measures, but it has done so 10 percentage points below the Spanish average. In fact, Catalonia remains at the bottom of the list of regions in terms of the increase in social spending between 2019 and 2024, at 14.9%, slightly below the governments of Madrid and Murcia (15 and 16.4%). These are figures from the latest report by the State Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services, published this Monday, which denounces that the overall budgetary growth in this post-COVID five-year period has not been reflected in the areas of health, education, and social services. The recovery in social budgets in Catalonia represents an increase of €383 per capita, only slightly exceeding the Madrid budget of the Popular Party (PP) leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso by a mere euro, while the Spanish average stands at around €660.
Analyzing last year's accounts, Catalonia allocated 2,940 euros per citizen per year to social policies, far from the more than 4,300 euros spent by the Basque Country and Navarre, or the 4,100 euros spent by Extremadura, the first community under the general regime that invests the most in these areas. Catalonia only surpasses the Community of Madrid by 238 euros, which occupies the last position in the national ranking. The Spanish average, according to the study, is 3,277 euros per person per year.
In all the analyses, Catalonia comes out poorly in the comparison. Thus, it is at the bottom of the list in terms of the percentage allocated to social policies as a percentage of the total budget: less than half, exactly 47%, while the Spanish average is 59%. In contrast, Murcia, Castile and León, and Andalusia each account for close to two-thirds of their budgets.
Sector Analysis
The study analyzes three specific areas, and once again, Catalonia falls short. In education, with €1,042 per capita last year, it represents the lowest increase of all the regions compared to 2019: 8%, which is even two points lower than the increase recorded by Madrid and well below the 22% Spanish average, driven by the strength of Andalusia, Ex0, or Ex.
Regarding healthcare, the Generalitat allocated €1,457 per inhabitant in 2024, a figure that represents 15% more than what was allocated just before the Covid-19 crisis. However, once again, the increase appears very modest when compared to the national average (€1,717) or the increases in Castilla y León, Asturias, or the Canary Islands.
On the other hand, the Generalitat allocated 52% more money to social services last year than in 2019. In fact, in absolute terms, it is the region that has seen the greatest increase in this area during this period, with €1.199 billion more, although it has dropped in the rankings when considering expenditure. Only 7 out of every €100 of the Catalan budget is allocated to social services, a percentage that is only lower in Madrid, Aragon, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands.
