Risk of poverty rises across Spain

The National Statistics Insitute – the INE – has issued a warning that the percentage of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion has risen.

The so-called AROPE rate, which measures the risk of relative poverty, the percentage of the population with low employment intensity, and severe material and social deprivation, increased by 0.5 percent last year to 26.5%.

Furthermore, the population experiencing severe material and social deprivation climbed to 9%, marking the highest rate since 2014.

Regions such as Ceuta, Andalusia, and Melilla recorded the highest AROPE rates, while the Basque Country and Navarre reported the lowest rates of poverty or social exclusion.