Overview
- Spain has 2.7 million children at risk of poverty or social exclusion (34.6%), the second-highest rate in the EU, according to a new UNICEF report.
- Modeling by UNICEF and Esade finds a universal €100 per month payment per child would lift about 270,000 minors out of poverty and cut the rate by roughly 3.6 points.
- The measure is estimated to cost around €3.5 billion a year if it replaces current income-tax child deductions, while a €200 version could exceed €12 billion annually.
- The government approved an institutional declaration signaling movement toward a universal parenting benefit, but there is no commitment or timetable as the Treasury reviews options and Sumar urges a 2026 rollout.
- Risk is highest for single-parent families and households with migrant adults, and exceeds 40% in regions such as Murcia, Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, and the Canary Islands, while rates are below 25% in Galicia, the Basque Country, and the Balearic Islands.