The population in precarious integration and moderate exclusion is growing in the Balearic Islands

The Balearic Islands have a social exclusion rate of 19.1% in 2024, representing a slight decrease compared to 20.7% in 2018, according to data published this Wednesday in the IX Foessa Report, presented by Caritas in Spain, which warns that, however, there is an increase in ''. Specifically, according to the published data, the Balearic Islands have a severe exclusion rate of 7.7% (1.9 points lower), a moderate exclusion rate of 11.3% (0.2 points higher), a precarious integration rate of 38.9% (2.5 points higher), and a full integration rate of 42%. The Foessa Report addresses other issues, such as corruption, as a problem that threatens the legitimacy of institutions. It refers to the elimination of the Office for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption in the Balearic Islands and warns of the impact on the permeability of populist discourse. This is an unprecedented process of social fragmentation in the State.

The report warns of an "unprecedented process of social fragmentation" in Spain, with an "apparent boom" coexisting with "one of the highest rates of inequality in Europe," leading to "a society of unease" in which 4.3 million people live in severe exclusion, a third of them children. "Spain is undergoing an unprecedented process of social fragmentation. The middle class is eroding and dragging many families down to lower strata. After two decades of successive crises, the recovery phases have not closed the gap. We are talking about 4.3 million people living in severe social exclusion," warned Raúl Flores, technical secretary of the Foessa Foundation and coordinator of the report, this Wednesday at a press conference in Madrid. According to the study (conducted by a team of 140 researchers from 51 universities, research centers, foundations, and third-sector organizations, and based on interviews with 31,015 people), social integration is "eroding" and severe exclusion remains "well above 20% levels." In any case, the study dismantles "the myth of passivity" because it points out that, despite the difficulties faced daily by households in severe exclusion, three out of four activate inclusion strategies; that is, they look for work, pursue training, activate networks, and adjust expenses. "It's not the people who are failing, it's the system," Flores stated.