Housing costs push millions of Spanish workers into poverty, Oxfam Intermón finds

Oxfam Intermón released a study titled “Cuando trabajar no es suficiente,” using 2024 income data from the INE’s Living Conditions Survey to assess how housing costs affect workers’ disposable income. By subtracting expenses such as rent, mortgage and property tax, the organisation finds that the labour-poverty rate climbs from 11.48 % to 15.49 %, a four-point increase. The estimate puts the number of affected employees at about three million, versus 2.2 million without housing deductions.

Tenants paying market rates experience the sharpest rise, with poverty prevalence jumping from 19.35 % to 34.08 %. Homeowners with fully paid-off houses see little change, while those with mortgages see a modest increase. The report argues that housing costs are a major driver of economic vulnerability in Spain.