Canary Islands rank second among regions with the fastest social‑spending growth in the past five years, up 35.5%
The Association of Directors and Managers in Social Services calls for the debt‑relief of autonomous communities to be redirected toward investment in social policies.
Canary Islands recorded the second‑largest increase in spending on social policies among Spain’s autonomous communities between 2019 and 2024, with a rise of 35.5 %—an additional €883.3 million. The figures come from a study by the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services, which also notes that, since 2010, the share of public funds allocated to health, education and social services has fallen by 8.3 percentage points.
- In 2024 the archipelago devoted 62.2 % of its total budget to social policies, yet it ranked eleventh in per‑capita spending at €3,363.3 per resident.
- Compared with 2009, total social spending has risen 48.2 %, amounting to €883.5 per inhabitant.
Breakdown by Sector (2019‑2024)
| Sector | Increase (5 years) | Absolute growth |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 31.9 % | +€1.052 billion |
| Education | 35.2 % | +€615.9 million |
| Social Services | 71.5 % | +€302.4 million |
In this context, the Association urges that the cost of servicing the debt of the autonomous communities be redirected to social policies. In 2024, social‑policy budgets suffered a €2.364 billion cut.
“The debt cost rose by €315 million in 2024 compared with the previous year, reaching 15.29 % of the total autonomous‑community budgets—€40.640 billion in total, twice the amount spent on social services and 50 % of health spending,” the Association warned.
The Association argues that eliminating roughly €85 billion of regional debt would allow a “significant boost to social policies in health, education and social services (dependency), increasing their budgets to recover the cuts made in recent years.”
Regional Disparities
The study highlights stark differences in per‑capita social‑policy investment:
- Highest per‑capita spending: Navarra (€4,500), Basque Country (€4,343.5), Extremadura (€4,124.1).
- Lowest per‑capita spending: Community of Madrid (€2,703), Catalonia (€2,940.8), Andalusia (€3,158).
“Madrid invests €574 less per inhabitant than the national average, making it the region that spends the least on social policies,” the report notes.
From 2010 to 2024, the share of the budget dedicated to health, education and social services fell by 8 percentage points. This decline “intensified in 2024,” when autonomous‑community budgets grew by €9.753 billion, yet the portion earmarked for social policies shrank by €2.364 billion.
Spending Trends (2014‑2023)
- Total liquidated budgets for all autonomous communities grew steadily, reaching €159,339.8 million in 2023, driven largely by central‑government allocations.
- However, the study warns of a “pause in 2024‑2025 due to the absence of the State General Budgets,” coupled with a long‑term downward trend: the share of the budget for social policies dropped from 67.4 % in 2010 to 59.1 % in 2024.
Impact of the COVID‑19 Crisis
While the pandemic underscored the importance of public spending on health, education and social services, the Association points out that:
- Between 2020 and 2024, spending on these three core policies grew by only 14.5 %.
- In the same period, spending on all other policy areas surged by 62 %—4.5 times faster than the growth of social‑policy spending.
“This disparity evidences a specific loss of weight for social spending in the autonomous communities,” the Association concluded.
Per‑Capita Spending Overview
All autonomous communities increased per‑capita investment in social policies over the past five years, but not uniformly:
- Top performers: Extremadura (+37.9 %), Canary Islands (+35.7 %), Navarra (+35.3 %).
- Lagging regions: Catalonia, Murcia, and Madrid.
Per‑capita differences range from €2,703 in Madrid to €4,500 in Navarra (or €4,343 in the Basque Country). Among the “common‑regime” communities, Extremadura (€4,124), Asturias (€3,960) and Cantabria (€3,702) lead the pack, while Andalusia (€3,158), Catalonia (€2,941) and Madrid (€2,703) sit at the lower end.
Shifts in Budget Shares (2012‑2024)
- Health: Share of total autonomous‑community budgets fell from 37.3 % (2012) to 30.9 % (2024) – a drop of 6.4 percentage points.
- Education: Declined from 23.9 % (2010) to 20.4 % (2024) – 3.5 percentage points less.
- Social Services: The only sector that increased its share, rising modestly from 7.3 % (2011/2019) to 7.8 % (2024).
Debt Payments
Over the last five years, economic stability allowed regions to allocate more funds to other spending lines rather than debt service, which rose by only €29.14 per inhabitant—contrasting with earlier periods of sharp debt‑payment spikes.
“The biggest increase in budgets over the last quinquennium went to non‑social policies; autonomous‑community budgets are becoming progressively less social,” the managers warned.
If spending on non‑social policies grew by 42.1 %, total social‑policy spending rose by 28.2 % (with 39.2 % in Social Services, 30.1 % in Health and 27.1 % in Education).
Nevertheless, the cost of debt in 2024 climbed by €315 million year‑on‑year, representing 15.29 % of total autonomous‑community budgets—€40.640 billion, twice the amount spent on Social Services and half of health spending.