Average net income per person in Spain rose in 2024 to 15,948 euros, 6.1% higher than in 2023. This is according to data ... the INE (national institute of statistics) published on Monday.
There is, as usual, a significant gap between the north and the south of Spain, with average incomes falling as one travels down the country.
Of the 15 wealthiest municipalities, 14 are in the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona, with the exception of Getxo, in Vizcaya, which ranks fifth. As was the case in 2023, Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) retains its position as Spain's wealthiest municipality, with an average annual net income of 32,612 euros.
The top three for 2024 also mirror those of the previous year: they are rounded off by Matadepera (Barcelona), with 28,607 euros, and Boadilla del Monte (Madrid), with 28,382 euros.
On the other hand, 12 of the 15 municipalities with the lowest incomes are in Andalucía. Iznalloz (Granada) is, once again, the municipality with the lowest average annual income per inhabitant, at just 9,153 euros, followed by El Palmar de Troya (Seville), which retains last year's second place, and Albuñol (Granada), which has risen from fourth to third place.
While the gap between the richest and poorest municipalities remains stable compared with last year's figures, Pozuelo's income is well over three times that of Iznalloz.
On the map of Spain, there are huge differences between the north, where incomes are higher, and the south, where wealth is much lower. Almost 90% of municipalities in the Basque Country rank among the top 25%, with above 17,157 euros, as do more than 70% of those in Navarre.
Conversely, 91.1% of the municipalities in the region of Murcia are among the 25% with the lowest income, under 13,407 euros, as are 84% of those in Andalucía.
Guipúzkoa topped the list of provinces by annual income, with an average net annual income per inhabitant of 20,790 euros in 2024. Vizcaya (19,858) and Madrid (19,277) follow. Conversely, the provinces with the lowest annual income per inhabitant were Almeria (12,244 euros), Huelva (12,765) and Jaén (12,835).
The provincial capitals with the highest proportion of census districts with a "very high" average annual net income per inhabitant (over 21,652 euros) in 2024 were San Sebastián, Madrid and Bilbao. At the other end, Soria, Cuenca and Guadalajara had the lowest percentages of census districts with very high incomes.
Below the first decile, that is, 11,322 euros per inhabitant, which is considered a "very low" income, are Melilla (31.8%), Ceuta (30.4%) and Alicante (29.3%).
Household income is rising
Average net household income also rose by 5.9% in 2024, exceeding 40,000 euros. Similarly, gross income, before tax, grew even more than net income: per person, it rose by 6.8% to 19,716 euros, and per household, by 6.7% to 50,201 euros.
Although the income of the Spanish population increased overall in 2024, this growth was not shared equally among all the country's inhabitants. The average income per unit (23,643 euros) was almost 3,700 euros higher than the median (19,950 euros), suggesting that higher-income households pushed up the average.
Both the average and the median income per unit are two indicators that provide an insight into the economic status of the population, taking into account household income and the number of people living in each household. Both saw increases in 2024, but the average rose by 5.9% while the median increased by 3.6%.
With regard to the sources of income for the Spanish population, 60% of the national total comes from wages, while 20% comes from pensions. Some 13.7% of income falls into the "other income" category, which may include investment income, such as interest or dividends, or income from letting property, among other sources.
In regard to benefits, 1.9% of the total are received as unemployment benefit and 4.5% for other social reasons other than being unemployed or retired. For example, this category may include public assistance for individuals or households in specific situations of need. The proportion of income falling into each category shows little change compared with the 2023 statistics.
The Gini coefficient, a statistical measure that quantifies economic inequality in the distribution of income within a population, reveals more pronounced differences in large urban centres. Madrid and Barcelona have the neighbourhoods with the highest levels of inequality, with figures reaching or even exceeding 40 points.
For example, in Pozuelo de Alarcón, the wealthiest municipality, the index stands at 44.2 points. In Iznalloz, by contrast, it stands at 26.5 points, which shows that the higher the average income in an area, the wider the gap.