The Spanish territory has seen significant economic changes in recent decades, with uneven impacts on different geographical areas. While some previously prosperous rural areas and small and medium-sized metropolitan areas now experience job losses and slow income growth, large metropolitan areas have been more dynamic.
Demographic changes have also had varying scopes across regions, leading to disparities of almost a decade in the average age of the population between some provinces. These transformations have contributed to an increase in inequality and well-being indicators when measured at the municipal level.
The Alternativas Foundation’s VI Report on inequality in Spain provides data on these differences. The indicators of greater well-being, measured in terms of income, health, education, and labor market, are mostly found in municipalities in Madrid and Barcelona, along with other locations in the Basque Country, Galicia, and isolated cases such as Zaragoza or Logroño.
However, most of the locations with values below the average are located in the south of the peninsula and the Canary Islands. While these indicators do not always correspond to a more egalitarian distribution of income, it is essential to note that inequality in large cities is much higher than that in rural areas.
On Spain’s municipal map of inequality, Madrid and its surroundings stand out due to their high values alongside parts of the Mediterranean coast and islands. Conversely, most of the Cantabrian coast experiences lower values. Such results prompt us to reflect on why these disparities have increased.