The Government of the Canary Islands has presented encouraging data on the progress of its social policies. According to the DEC Index 2025, compiled by the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services, the Archipelago ranks fourth nationally in social services, a significant rise from its last place position in 2012. Minister Candelaria Delgado emphasized on Tuesday in the Plenary Session of Parliament the budgetary effort made, reflected in a per capita spending higher than the state average and a greater percentage of GDP allocated to these areas.
The Survey on Income and Living Conditions of Canary Islands Households, published by the ISTAC, confirms an improvement in living standards. The percentage of the population at risk of poverty has decreased from 20.5% in 2022 to 17.6% in 2025. Furthermore, the average monthly household income has increased by 19%, reaching 2,755 euros, and the average income per person has grown to 1,061 euros per month. Average social benefits have also seen an increase, rising from 842 to 989 euros.
Delgado also highlighted the significant reduction in waiting times for processing rights and services. The average resolution time has decreased from 782 days in July 2023 to 214 days in September 2026, a 73% reduction. In the area of Disability, 57,184 resolutions have been processed during the legislature, and waiting lists outside the legal timeframe in Tenerife and Gran Canaria have decreased by approximately 70% in the last three years. Pending applications for the Canary Citizenship Income have fallen from 7,537 to around 1,400, with an average resolution time of seven months.
Despite these advances, the minister warned that situations of vulnerability still persist. Severe material and social deprivation affects 12.7% of the population, with a higher risk of poverty among women and in single-parent households. The new AROPE indicator places 28.7% of the Canary Islands population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, a figure that requires cautious comparison due to methodological changes.
Priorities for the coming months include reducing waiting times, expanding home and community services, protecting the most vulnerable households, supporting the municipal network, collaborating with the third sector, modernizing management, and reducing territorial disparities in access to benefits. The goal is for public data to better identify needs and guide administrative actions to provide citizens with increasingly rapid, accessible, and appropriate responses.
