A study published today by the research foundation FEDEA and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid shows that children in certain household types face an above-average risk of poverty. According to the latest analysis, in 2025 around 28.3 per cent of minors in Spain lived in households below the national poverty line; that is about 2.07 million children and young people. The child AROPE rate—which also covers severe material and social deprivation and low work intensity, as well as income poverty—was 33.8 per cent. Those most affected are families with parents under 30 and single-parent households, mostly headed by women.
The working paper “Hijos, Ciclo Vital y Pobreza en España: 2008–2025” by José Ignacio Conde-Ruiz and Marialejandra Garay Aguirre consistently examines child poverty through the lens of life stages and household structures. Based on Spain’s Survey of Living Conditions (ECV) and relevant EU indicators, the analysis shows that the financial pressures of early parenthood overlap with insecure employment, low pay and limited control over working hours. In single-parent households (monoparental), the risk is compounded because one income is less able to cover fixed costs and childcare demands.
Official observatories confirm the scale of the problem: the Observatorio de la Infancia has for years reported elevated rates of income poverty and material deprivation among minors. Eurostat also reports high levels for child poverty and exclusion indicators in Spain. Regional differences remain considerable, with urban and rural areas affected in different ways.
The unequal distribution of poverty risks over the life cycle is politically significant. The study argues for targeted support during early parenthood and for single parents—for example, through income-support payments, accessible and affordable childcare, and more effective incentives to enter employment. According to the relevant ministry, the Ingreso Mínimo Vital reaches numerous households with children and serves as a safety net, though its targeting still needs further evaluation.
The rates cited refer to 2025 and are based on microdata analysis of the ECV and standard EU indicators (AROPE, material and social deprivation, low work intensity). Claims about the causal effects of individual measures remain hypotheses to be tested and require longer time series and impact analyses. The findings confirm the need for family and social policies in Spain that are more closely tailored to specific groups.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).