Press release 30/11/2017
The average income of the population of the Basque Country increased by almost €600 euros in 2015
The average personal income of the Basque Country grew 2.4% in 2015 and stood at €41,058
The average income of people aged 18 and over residing in the Basque Country stood at €19,968 in 2015, €589 more than in 2014, according to the Personal and Family Income Statistics prepared by Eustat, in collaboration with the Provincial Councils of Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa.
Regarding the composition of total personal income received by residents of the Basque Country in 2015, 59.8% came from work, with an average of €11,950; the rest was distributed between transfers and social provisions, averaging €5,410 (27.1%); economic activities, averaging €952 (4.8%); and capital gains, both moveable and immoveable, with an average of €1,646 (8.2%).
When compared with the data for 2014, this particular set of data shows that income from economic activities increased by 8.1% and transfers by 7.5%, whilst income from work rose by 1.1% and income from capital by 0.7%, thanks to immoveable capital (6.4%) and despite the fact that there was a slight fall in moveable capital (-1.1%).
Regarding the distribution of income amongst the population, nearly 87.5% of individuals aged 18 and over received some type of income, whilst the remaining 12.5% did not receive any type of income during 2015. Furthermore, 60.1% of individuals received an income below the Basque Country average, including those who did not receive any income; on the other hand, 11.8% had an income that was double the average, that is, slightly over €39,900.
The average personal income for Basque women is almost €10,000 below that of men
The distribution of income between men and women was uneven. Men in the Basque Country received an average income of €25,152, whereas women received an average income of €15,175. In other words, men earned €9,977 more than women.
The greatest difference between the personal income of men and women was amongst those aged between 65 and 69, where the average income of men exceeded that of women by €17,393.
The highest personal income was obtained by those aged between 55 and 59, with men having an average income of €33,990 and women of €19,902. Women of this age are the closest to achieving the average income of the population aged 18 and over, being just €66 below the average income figure.
Gipuzkoa was the province with the highest personal income, €20,669, followed by Álava with €19,787 and, in third place, Bizkaia with €19,589. If we analyse the changes since 2014, Gipuzkoa performed the best, with personal income increasing by 4.0%, followed by Bizkaia at 2.7% and Álava with 2.3%.
The average personal income in the capitals of the three provinces exceeded the average for the Basque Country. In first place was Donostia-San Sebastián with €23,469, followed by Bilbao with €20,313 and lastly, Vitoria-Gasteiz with €20,014.
Average family income in the Basque Country stood at €41,058 in 2015
Average family income in the Basque Country stood at €41,058 in 2015, although half of all families had an income below €32,946. Family income is calculated as an aggregation of the personal incomes of all members of the family who are of legal age. As in the case with personal income, Gipuzkoa was the province with the highest family income, €42,231, followed in this case by Bizkaia with €40,887 and, lastly, Álava with €39,133. The average income for families overall in the Basque Country corresponded to 2.1 times the average personal income.
The average income of families in the Basque Country rose by 2.4% between 2014 and 2015. By province, Gipuzkoa showed the highest rise, at 3.9%, followed by Bizkaia, 1.9%, and Álava, 1.8%.
62.3% of families received an income below the Basque Country average, or they received no income at all. In 2015, 2.2% of families fell under this category. On the other hand, 8.9% of families had an income that was double the average, that is €82,116.
We may also speak of gender differences in family income due to the existence of inequalities regarding family income depending on the gender of the main earner; if he was a male, the families had an average income of €45,180, with the majority of families being concentrated in the intermediate and high strata, whereas if the main earner was a woman the average income stood at €35,578, and was concentrated in the lowest income strata.
Donostia/San Sebastián was the capital with the highest family income
Donostia-San Sebastián, with €47,915, was the capital with the highest family income, followed by Bilbao, with €41,353 and Vitoria-Gasteiz, with €39,129.
Regarding the regional distribution, there were also differences between the twenty regions of the Basque Country. Eight of these regions received family income higher than the average, with special mention going to Estribaciones del Gorbea (€49,339) in Álava, Plentzia-Mungia (€48,563) in Bizkaia and Goierri (€43,720) in Gipuzkoa. The twelve remaining regions, however, received family income lower than the average, and the lowest figures of the classification are found in Encartaciones (€34,967) in Bizkaia, Bajo Bidasoa (€38,507) in Gipuzkoa and Rioja Alavesa, which, at €32,901, was the region with the lowest family income in the Basque Country.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62