Madrid (EFE).- Last April there were 3.31 Social Security affiliates in Spain for each retiree beneficiary of a contributory benefit, a ratio that had not reached a similar figure since the same month of 2012 (3.28) and whose rebound is explained by the increase in employment in the last decade.
However, the relationship between these two groups is very uneven in the analysis by territory, with Ourense as the province with the lowest number of affiliates for each retiree (1.57), while Almería registers the highest ratio (4.82). .
The average ratio reached its lowest point in 2014, when in April it stood at 3.05 affiliates for each retiree, but since then it has only increased, since the number of workers has been growing more than the number of retirees .
In this sense, it should be noted that April closed with a record number of 20.6 million Social Security affiliates, while 6.2 million retired pensioners were registered.
Thus, since 2014, the annual growth rate of Social Security affiliates (with figures for the months of April) is 2.3%, while retirees advance to 1.44%.
In addition, the growth of affiliates has accelerated since 2020, with an annual growth rate of 2.8%, while that of retirees has slowed to 1.08%.
All in all, the ratio for this April is still far from that of the same month in 2008, when in Spain there were 4 affiliates for every retiree, since since then the number of contributors has grown by 6.5%, while the number of pensioners 30.09% have done so.
population aging
However, the demographic reality of Spain means that, in the medium term, the prospects suggest a reduction in the ratio between workers and retired pensioners, which is why a reform of the public pension system has been addressed that seeks to increase income, especially in the 2030s and 2040s.
According to the European Union’s aging report (Aging Report), which analyzes the demographic evolution of EU countries and its economic and social implications, Spain is among the countries with the highest proportion of population over 65 years of age and less proportion of population under 15 years of age and, furthermore, this aging will continue in the coming decades.
Likewise, it points out that the reduction of the population of working age may limit economic growth and increase pressure on the pension system, hence the recommendation of reforms that guarantee the financial viability of said system in the future.
Thus, the Government approved last March, after reaching an agreement with the European Commission and the unions, the last block of the reform of the public pension system, which includes measures aimed at increasing income to deal with the increase in spending that will support the system for the next two decades.
All in all, the Bank of Spain warned last week that new measures will be necessary from 2025 to strengthen the financial sustainability of the pension system, given the greater long-term spending obligations “have not been fully compensated for by income”.
Big differences by territories
As has been said, the relationship between Social Security affiliates and retired pensioners is very uneven depending on the territory, with a clear north-south upward trend that responds to demographic characteristics, while the northern regions are the oldest.
Thus, Ourense is the province with the lowest number of affiliates for each retiree (1.57), while Almería registers the highest ratio (4.82).
All in all, the territories with the most workers for each retiree are the autonomous cities of Ceuta (5.17) and Melilla (6.13).
If we take into account only the Autonomous Communities, the lowest ratio is found in Asturias (2.06), closely followed by Galicia (2.18), while the communities with the highest proportion of affiliates per retiree are the Canary Islands (4, 42) and Madrid (4.40).