Melilla according to the regional opposition party, records Coalición por Melilla a particularly high proportion of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion. On 17 October 2026, the party put the figure at 43.7% and cited the report “El Estado de la Pobreza” by EAPN-ES, which is based on analyses of Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística The national average is 25.7%, according to the report.
The opposition is calling for an immediate response: a specific plan to tackle child poverty in Melilla. It identifies households with minors as the target group and calls for a “Plan Melillense contra la Pobreza Infantil” for 2027 to 2030. It should include clear interim targets, a verifiable timetable, an evaluation and a ring-fenced budget. The party also proposes introducing an autonomous top-up supplement to the Ingreso Mínimo Vital to reach households with children who do not receive the state benefit for formal reasons.
According to the opposition party, minors are particularly affected in the city. It says that six in ten children in Melilla are at risk of poverty or exclusion. The demands are directed at the local government, whose spending priorities the opposition criticises. Melilla has a budget of more than €400 million, which should be more specifically directed towards social policy measures with demonstrable impact, the statement says.
The report presented by EAPN-ES identifies structural factors that increase the risk in Melilla: a more fragile economic structure, lower purchasing power, a tight housing market and shortfalls in funding for public services. The opposition considers more socially subsidised rental housing, better targeting of existing support and prioritising families with children to be key measures. The party also stresses that ongoing data collection and impact monitoring are prerequisites for effective policy.
The figures cited are based on EAPN-ES's analysis of the final results of the Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística. The political assessment and specific demands come from Coalición por Melilla's statement of 17 October 2026. The local government had not initially commented on the allegations. The debate on poverty in Melilla is therefore intensifying once again, as the city continues to record significantly worse indicators than Spain the rest of the country.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).