More than 704,000 people residing in the Canary Islands are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The archipelago is the fourth Spanish autonomous community with the highest percentage of impoverished population. This is revealed by the AROPE 2026 report, which shows that the exclusion rate is stagnating in the archipelago after four years of decline.
The AROPE indicator (At Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion) is calculated through three variants: population at risk of poverty, in severe material and social deprivation, and with low work intensity. In the case of the archipelago, the rate of women at risk of poverty or social exclusion is higher than that of men.
In 2015, which was designated as the year for monitoring the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, the AROPE rate affected 45% of the population. Currently, it stands at 31.2% and still exceeds the Spanish average, which is 25.7%.
Higher in households with children and adolescents
The risk of poverty rate in the islands, calculated with the AROPE indicator, remains "especially high" and affects 41.1% of children and adolescents in the Canary Islands. Thus, poverty is higher among households with minors and economically dependent young people (34.6%) and among those residing in rural areas (32.1%).
The population at risk of poverty and exclusion is influenced by different factors. For example, the AROPE rate is higher in families living in a market-rented dwelling (45.4%) than among those who own a home (27.2%); it is more noticeable among the unemployed (62.8%) than among retirees (27%); and more frequent among people with disabilities (37.8%) than among those without any disability (27.8%).
Around 517,000 people in poverty
The poverty rate, which considers the annual income distribution and is not as comprehensive as the AROPE indicator, places 22.9% of the Canarian population in this category. Around 517,000 people in the archipelago are below the poverty threshold.
Although it has decreased for the third consecutive year, it remains among the highest in the Canary Islands and is 3.4 percentage points above the state average. This poverty rate is higher among those under 18 years of age, affecting 28.3% of the population. Furthermore, poverty remains higher among tenants paying market rent for their homes (35.6%) than among homeowners (18.6%).
As with the AROPE indicator, the poverty rate in the islands is higher among women (24.3%) than among men (21.4%). Furthermore, it is higher in households with children who are economically dependent (25.7%) compared to those without children in their care (20.1%).
These rates also vary depending on the threshold used to calculate them. If the state threshold is used, the poverty rate in the Canary Islands is higher, affecting 22.9% of the population, while if the regional threshold is used, it decreases to 18.3% without any "improvement" recorded in the "living conditions" of the population.
This reality affects family units earning between 10,825 and 12,220 euros per year, which cease to be considered within the poverty threshold due to a methodological issue.
8% of households in severe poverty
The severe poverty rate affects 8% of households in the archipelago, with families living on a maximum income of 679 euros per month. These poverty levels are more frequent among women (8.8%), among unemployed people (22.8%), and in households with children in their care (8.7%).
Last year, the severe material and social deprivation rate was 9.3%, affecting 210,000 people. This deprivation is reflected in households that cannot afford unexpected expenses (49.9%); nor can they go on vacation away from home for at least a week a year (39.3%); or replace broken or old furniture (35.9%). Additionally, there are households that cannot afford to keep their homes at an adequate temperature in winter (18.9%).
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