11 Mar, 2014 @ 11:09
1 min read

Spain’s rich/poor divide is biggest in Europe

THE divide between rich and poor in Spain is the biggest in Europe, according to a report by Catholic charity Caritas.

Those in the top fifth of Spanish society are now on average seven and a half times richer than those in the bottom fifth.

While the number of millionaires has increased by 13% in a year, three million people are living in extreme poverty.

“The report paints a picture of a more fractured, more divided society, where the middle-class is disappearing and a minority has access to wealth, goods and services while the majority sits outside,” said Sebastian Mora, general secretary of Caritas in Spain.

Spain has been mired in an economic crisis for four years and its unemployment level is second in Europe, behind only Greece.

The Spanish government has predicted economic growth for 2014 and the unemployment rate is beginning to settle, but many argue that having the most unequal society in Europe poses a huge threat to any recovery.

Mora, speaking at a press conference in Madrid, also warned of warned of ‘a situation of neglect, injustice and the dispossession of people’s most basic rights’.

Tom Powell

DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR US at Spain’s most popular English newspaper - the Olive Press? Contact us now via email: newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call 951 273 575. To contact the newsdesk out of regular office hours please call +34 665 798 618.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Story

Spain marks ten year anniversary of Madrid bombings

Gerard Mortier
Next Story

Gerard Mortier dies aged 70

Latest from Business & Finance

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press

Watch: Snow blankets Malaga while heavy rain floods the Costa del Sol amid cold snap

A COLD snap is currently gripping Spain and the typically

Watch: ‘Water tornado’ forms off Spain’s Costa del Sol ahead of orange level storms

THIS is the moment a ‘water tornado’ was seen swirling