Lanzarote has 22.6% of its population in social exclusion, while the inequality between the incomes of the richest and the poorest remains latent, although it has decreased compared to the years of the pandemic. This is reflected in the Report 4 Islands 2024. Sustainability Indicators, which analyzes the reality of Lanzarote, La Palma, Ibiza, and Menorca, and has been broken down by La Voz.
This research shows that although Lanzarote has improved its rate of social exclusion, which was 26.8% in 2015, to 22.6% in 2024, it is still the second highest of the islands analyzed. Social exclusion is more pressing in the Canary Islands than in the Balearic Islands. For example, in Menorca, with a more diversified economy, there is "less inequality and relative poverty" and "a more equitable economy."
Thus, Lanzarote has one of the lowest rates of social service workers per thousand inhabitants. Specifically, it has 0.85 employees per 1,000 inhabitants, only behind Ibiza (0.72). "Lanzarote presents a significant deficit," the study notes, which states that "the low investment in social services is worrying" in a context of "gradual increase in aging." At the same time, the island of volcanoes only provides home care to 2.1% of those over 65 years of age who reside there.
The study indicates that Lanzarote and Ibiza, with similar rates in this area, "show serious deficiencies," which "endangers the quality of life of the elderly and dependent in the short and medium term." At the same time, it reveals that it is "something urgent" to plan services to meet future needs. It also highlights that housing "is a priority social problem" and the difficulties in accessing it affect the ability of workers to "settle and develop in these territories."
