Three out of ten Balearic citizens living in poverty

Almost a third of the Balearic population is living on the verge of poverty, a  report published yesterday by the Poverty and Social Exclusion in Europe Network (EAPN).
The official figures amount to 27.8 percent of the population, almost three out of every ten Balearic residents.
That’s 3.5 percent more than 2009.
Figures are generating concern among local authorities since they are above the increase  in the  national average  during that period (2.6 percent).
The number of local citizens who have to delay their rent payments on a regular basis has gone up, so have the number of those who can’t even turn the heating on during the winter months or face any unexpected extra bills.
Overall in Spain, last year there were 1, 320, 216 more people living on the verge of poverty and social exclusion than back in 2009, a growth of 2.6 percent taking total numbers to 12,8 million Spanish residents.
Carlos Susias, president of Spain’s EAPN branch  has warned that something needs to change fast as the “type of poverty” is also quickly changing.
“We now have more cases of extreme poverty.
“Twenty percent of our population is living in poverty, over six percent a severe one.
“Material deprivation affects 6.2 percent of the population, while the lack of jobs affects 15.7 percent.
“Almost two percent of the population is affected by these three factors. In those households, the situation is possibly the worst one.
“But the number of citizens who used to be considered ‘middle class’ is also declining.”
According to the report, the number of citizens affected by severe material deprivation has gone up almost 40 percent between 2009 and 2013.