86,000 people live in a situation of severe poverty in the Balearic Islands

PalmaAbout 86,000 people live in severe poverty in the Balearic Islands, with monthly incomes of less than 680 euros if they live alone. In a family of two adults and two children, the threshold drops to 357 euros per person per month.

This is stated in theReport on the state of poverty in the Balearic Islands 2026, presented this Friday at the Parliament by the president of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN-Balearic Islands), Xavier Torrens. The organization warns that the improvement in general indicators does not prevent thousands of people from continuing to be in a situation of great vulnerability.

According to data from the INE Living Conditions Survey for 2025, about 190,000 people, 15.2% of the Balearic population, are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. It is the lowest percentage in the historical series and the second lowest in the State.

Poverty affects 23% of children

The situation is especially worrying among those under 18 years of age: 23% are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, almost eight points above the average for the Islands. The EAPN warns that this reality limits children's opportunities and can perpetuate poverty across generations.

Monetary poverty, which affects people with incomes below 60% of the national median income, has also increased slightly, to 11.6%, after three years of decreases.

The organization considers that the economic and labor recovery is not reaching the most vulnerable groups enough. Among the factors that aggravate the situation, it points to the rising cost of living, difficulties in accessing housing, and the inability of a job to guarantee, on its own, social inclusion.

Housing, a factor of exclusion

Torrens has called for policies that guarantee access to decent housing and has argued that it should be treated as a social right, not solely as a market good.

The report points out that housing sale prices increased by 95.1% between 2015 and 2025, while rents became 28.8% more expensive between 2015 and 2024. The EAPN links this trend to real estate investments, the expansion of tourist rentals, and the historical lack of affordable public housing.

Therefore, it demands expanding the public housing stock, promoting social rent, and driving measures to prevent evictions and the displacement of residents from their neighborhoods.

More aid and less stigma

The entity also requests increasing the coverage and the amount of the Guaranteed Social Income (RESOGA) and improving the management of the Minimum Vital Income (IMV), which, according to Torrens, only reaches a third of the potential beneficiaries. Furthermore, it advocates for a universal child-rearing benefit.

The report highlights the weight of public aid in reducing poverty: without the economic transfers from the administrations, the rate would approach 28%.

Finally, Torrens has warned about the increase in hate speech and aporophobia—the rejection of poor people—in the political, media, and social spheres. According to the entity, these discourses stigmatize vulnerable groups and hold them responsible for their situation. To combat this, the EAPN will launch an awareness campaign focused on aporophobia over the coming weeks.