The Canary Islands recorded a total of 2023 at the end of 14.1 million foreign touristsa new tourist record and almost a million more visitors before the pandemic, with an increase of 6.9%. However, this balance sheet does not extrapolate positively to the social majority, since the islands, according to the Survey of Living Conditions of the National Institute of Statistics (INE), are the second community with the highest AROPE rate of risk of poverty or social exclusion.
While figures for the increase in the number of foreign tourists and tourism turnover have been achieved, in the Canary Islands in 2023, 33.8% of the population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, a rate that is only exceeded by Andalusia with 37.5%, and which places them almost 10 points behind the national average.
The highest AROPE risk rates were recorded in 2023 in Ceuta (41.8%), Andalusia (37.5%), Melilla (36.7%), the Canary Islands (33.8%) and Extremadura (32.8%), Castilla-La Mancha (31.7%), Murcia (30.5%), Valencian Community (29.6%), Galicia (25.5%), Asturias (25%), Castile and León (22.4%), Cantabria (22%), La Rioja (21.8%), Catalonia (21.2%), Aragon (20.4%) and the Balearic Islands (20%).
On the other hand, the Basque Country (15.5%) and the Foral Community of Navarre (17.2%) had the lowest rates of risk of poverty or social exclusion.
In Spain and by age group, the relative poverty risk rate, that is, the percentage of the population with low employment intensity and severe material and social deprivation, improved from 20.4 to 20.2% and from 8.7 to 8.4%, respectively, while the percentage has worsened of the population in a situation of severe material and social deprivation (from 7.7 to 9%).
By population sector, the survey carried out between February and May 2023 details that it increased by 2.1 points under 16s and 0.4 in the 16 to 64 age group. Conversely, it fell by 0.4 points among those aged 65 and over.
Concerning the AROPE rate by level of education attained, the survey reveals that the rate of risk of poverty or social exclusion for people with higher education was 13.3%; 25.7 among people with upper secondary education; 33.5% among people with lower secondary education and 36.7% among people with primary education or a lower level of education.
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Concerning the AROPE rate according to employment situation, among employees, it was 16.6%; among retirees, 17.2%; other inactive people, 38% and among the unemployed, 56.7%.
Furthermore, the survey reveals that 37.1% of Spanish households I didn’t have the capacity to cope with unexpected expenses last year, a percentage almost two points higher than in 2022 and the highest since 2016 (38.7%). Likewise, it was found that 9.3% of households reached the end of the month with “great difficulties” in 2023, a percentage six tenths higher than in 2022 and the highest since 2020, when it reached 10%.
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