Press Release 30/10/2020

PERSONAL AND FAMILY INCOME STATISTICS 2018

The average income of the population of the Basque Country stood at around €21,500 euros in 2018

60.4% of personal income came from work, 26.8% from transfers or social provisions, 8% from capital gains and 4.8% was income from economic activities

The average personal income of Basque Country residents aged 18 and over was €21,458, which was an increase of 1.8% compared to the previous year, according to the Personal and Family Income Statistics prepared by Eustat, in collaboration with the Provincial Councils of Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa.

The average personal income in Gipuzkoa was €22,605, higher than that of Álava (€20,978) and Bizkaia (€20,886). Álava experienced the greatest growth (2.7%) followed by Gipuzkoa (2.3%) and Bizkaia (1.1%).

The aforementioned differences were more pronounced when referring to the provincial capitals, so that the average income of people residing in San Sebastián (€25,577) exceeded the Basque average by more than €4,000, while both Bilbao (€21,538) and Vitoria-Gasteiz (€21,259) were close to the average.

The average disposable income, calculated as total income less income tax and social security contributions by the worker, stood at €17,860 in 2018 (1.4% more than the previous year), a figure equivalent to 83.2% of total income. It was €18,867 in Gipuzkoa; €17,511 in Álava; and €17,337 in Bizkaia.

Regarding its composition, 60.4% of personal income came from work, with an average of €12,966 (€285 more than the previous year), while the rest is distributed among 26.8% from transfers or social provisions (€5,747), 4.8% as income from economic activities (€1,029) and 8% from capital gains, both moveable and immoveable (€1,717).

Regarding the distribution of income amongst the population, more than 1.5 million individuals aged 18 and over received some type of income, that is, 85.1%, whilst 14.9% of the population did not receive any type of income during 2018. Furthermore, 59.7% of individuals received an income below the Basque Country average, including those who did not receive any income; whereas 10.6% had an income that was double the average, that is, more than €42,916.

The median, the indicator that establishes the income that divides the population in two equal parts, stood at €16,908, that is, half of the adult population of the Basque Country had an average annual personal income over €16,908 in 2018; while the other half received an income below this figure.

The gender gap continues, given that the income of men in the Basque Country exceeded that of women by slightly more than €10,000: men received an average income of €26,930 compared to €16,416 for women, with a difference of 39%. The greatest difference was recorded in the 65 to 69 age group, where the income of men exceeded that of women by €15,380.

/

In relation to the previous year, the average personal income grew less in 2018 than in the preceding year (1.8% compared to 3.9%), something that extended to practically all components, with the exception of income from activities. The fall in capital gains (-1.5%), which had experienced a significant increase in 2017 (5.0%), was especially notable.

The average income for families in the Basque Country corresponded to twice the average personal income.

Average family income in the Basque Country stood at €43,648 in 2018. This income is obtained as an aggregation of the personal incomes of all adult members of the family. The average income for families overall in the Basque Country exactly corresponded to twice the average personal income.

Once again, Gipuzkoa, with €46,017, was the province with the highest family income, followed by Bizkaia (€42,831) and Álava (€41,395). These differences can also be seen between capitals, so that San Sebastián, with €52,143, was the capital with the highest family income, followed by Bilbao (€43,329) and Vitoria-Gasteiz (€41,644).

At a more disaggregated level, there were significant differences between the twenty regions of the Basque Country. Nine regions received family income higher than the average, in particular Plentzia-Mungia (€51,226) in Bizkaia; Estribaciones del Gorbea (€50,364) in Álava; and Urola Costa (€48,093) in Gipuzkoa. In contrast, the eleven remaining regions, had family incomes lower than the average, and the lowest figures of the classification are found in Bajo Bidasoa (€41,453) in Gipuzkoa; Encartaciones (€36,813) in Bizkaia; and Rioja Alavesa (€34,627) was the region with the lowest family income in the Basque Country.

The percentage composition of family income, according to the main income sources, was similar to that seen for personal income, with greater relative weight for income from work (60.6%) and from transfers (26.6%). The average disposable income of households stood at €36,307, a figure equivalent to 83.2% of total average income.

The distribution of family income by strata shows that the stratum into which the greatest number of families fell was that of €9,001-€12,000, that is, well below the average value, so that 62.8% of families, almost two-thirds of them, received an income below the Basque Country average. It also indicates that slightly less than 3% of families did not receive any income in 2018; on the other hand, less than 1% of families received incomes over €84,000.

Family income varies according to the socio-demographic characteristics of the person who contributes most income to the household, such as sex and age. Where the main earner was a man, the families had an average income of €48,318, with the majority of families being concentrated in the intermediate and high income strata, whereas if the main earner was a woman the average income stood at €36,466 and was concentrated in the lowest income strata.

Family income increased progressively as the person who contributed most income to the household got older until the 55 to 59 age group was reached, age at which a maximum average income of €56,269 was attained; this maximum can be seen both for men (€60,394) and for women (€49,579). Families with an income above the Basque Country average are those where the main earner is aged between 40 and 65.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel: 945 01 75 62