The municipal investment in social policies it is not at all homogeneous in the large cities of the State. Many factors influence it, from the economic solvency of each council to the density of vulnerable population. But the minute and result of this command yields eloquent data: Barcelona allocates 49.41% more budget to the social area per inhabitant than Madrid.
While the Catalan capital dedicated average 233.42 euros by neighbor this mandate, the Spanish capital remained in €156.22. That is, statistically each person from Madrid receives 77.20 euros less than a Barcelonan in social programs at the end of the year. The two capitals are governed by parties of the opposite sign, Comuns and PP, who frequently seek to confront their models.
The data
The figures come from the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services, a self-financing entity created in 1994, which analyzes public spending on the matter each year. It has analyzed the accounts of the 6 most populated cities in the State (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza and Malaga) in the 4 calendar years that best fit the current mandate (2019-2022), although the elections go from May to May .
The information is based on the records of the Ministry of Finance and Public Function. In the case of the first three years, it is the liquidated budget, that is, the final balance of public money spent. In the case of 2022, since the execution of accounts has not yet been closed, the amounts collected come from the budget approved by each city council.
Evolution and ranking
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The evolution of spending in Barcelona and Madrid also has a crumb. The distance between the two was reduced in the year of the pandemic, 2020, because both increased the social game. They were then separated by 74.02 euros per inhabitant. On the contrary, in 2021 the differential was maximized until it reached 91.49 euros less, when Madrid cut the investment in this portfolio to the 2019 level, while Barcelona increased it slightly. In 2022 they are close again but it should be remembered that the definitive balance of expenditure is not yet available.
As for Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza and Malaga, the four are in a second league, below Madrid. The Andalusian city is the most generous in social spending with an average of 134.08 euros per capita, followed by Malaga with 128 euros/inhabitant and a short distance away is Zaragoza with 125. The last position is for Valencia with 113.93 euros per citizen average. Despite a slow rise throughout his term, which started with only 98.99 euros per neighbor, his social budget does not reach half that of Barcelona.