Spaniards fleeing a poorer Spain

WITH income levels in Spain as low as they were 10 years ago, increasingly more people are leaving the country.

Latest figures released show how the economic crisis and austerity cutbacks are affecting Spanish society.

The difference between the rich and the poor in Spain is widening and many people are leaving the country. In 2012 Spanish nationals taking residency abroad increased by 6.3 per cent to 1.9 million, according to the National Statistics Institute.

Foreign citizens with double nationality are also leaving Spain with top destinations being Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, France and the US.

In 2012 the purchasing power of the average Spaniard stood at €18,500 according to the charity Caritas. A study compiled by the Foessa Foundation from official records shows the fall of money available to families is due to the combined effect of lower incomes and increased prices.

Carlos Susias of the Network Against Poverty and Social Exclusion in Spain said “living standards are declining very quickly,” and added that the developments of the last few years are a “real atrocity.”