A government report detailing the poorest and richest towns in Spain has been released.
And once again, Andalucia dominates the list of poorest municipalities – with eight of the 10 lowest-income towns found in the southernmost region. The other two are in neighbouring Extremadura.
READ MORE: ‘I live in Sevilla, this is how much money you need per month to live here’
The figures, published this week by Spain’s Tax Agency, draw on 2023 income tax returns across all towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants (excluding Navarra and the Basque Country, which have separate fiscal regimes).
The poorest towns in Spain
The bottom of the table is concentrated in just three provinces: Malaga, Granada and Jaen.
Benamargosa (Malaga) has the lowest reported income in the country, with an average of €13,831 per resident.
Close behind are Guardahortuna (€14,339), Colomera (€14,507), Montejícar (€14,528), Montizón (€14,483), Noalejo (€14,864), Algarinejo (€14,940) and Cambil (€14,973).
If the ranking is widened to the 20 poorest towns, 16 of them are in Andalucia. That list includes Chilluevar, Pedro Martínez and Huesa – again from Granada and Jaen – alongside Marinaleda in Sevilla (€15,193) and Puerto Serrano in Cadiz (€15,288).
Most of these communities are small, rural and ageing. Puerto Serrano, the largest in the group, has fewer than 7,000 inhabitants.
The richest towns – and Andalucia’s place
At the other end of the scale, Madrid and Barcelona continue to dominate the wealth rankings. Spain’s richest town remains Pozuelo de Alarcon, with €88,011 per resident – more than double the income of any Andalucian town.
Andalucía’s richest municipality is Benahavis (Malaga), known for its gated luxury developments, golf courses and Michelin-starred restaurants.
Here, average income stands at €43,159, though that doesn’t even place it in Spain’s top 50. Following behind are Tomares (€38,953) and Espartinas (€37,962), both in Sevilla.
Other relatively affluent pockets of Andalucia include Bormujos, Rincon de la Victoria, Valencina de la Concepcion, Mairena del Aljarafe, San Roque, Aljaraque and Gelves, where incomes range from €33,600 to €34,700.
A persistent divide
The figures underline a long-standing divide: while Andalucia tops the lists for rural poverty, its wealthiest enclaves can’t break into Spain’s elite.
In contrast, Madrid and Catalonia continue to concentrate the country’s richest postcodes, with Andalucia still struggling to close the gap.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
