Lorraine Williamson
Quality of life in Spain improved slightly in 2025, but new official figures reveal substantial differences between regions and population groups. While living conditions, employment, and health contributed to the overall improvement, personal safety and social relationships moved in the opposite direction.
The findings, published by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) on Friday 23 October, also offer a new perspective on the experiences of foreign residents, with differences emerging in education, material living conditions and overall life satisfaction.
Which regions have the highest quality of life in Spain?
Navarra recorded the highest overall quality-of-life score in 2025, followed by La Rioja and the Basque Country. All three northern regions performed considerably better than the national average, according to the latest Multidimensional Quality of Life Indicator.
At the opposite end of the ranking were the Canary Islands, Andalucía and Galicia. The figures suggest that where people live continues to play an important part in their overall quality of life, although individual circumstances can vary considerably.
The national index increased from 101.43 points in 2024 to 101.74 in 2025. The improvement was modest, but it continued the recovery recorded since the decline in 2022.
Andalucía remains below the national average
Andalucía recorded an overall score of 99.85 points, compared with the national average of 101.74. It ranked above only the Canary Islands among Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, with Ceuta and Melilla also recording lower figures when the autonomous cities are included.
The Canary Islands had the lowest regional score, at 99.40 points, followed by Andalucía at 99.85 and Galicia at 99.88.
By comparison, Navarra scored 105.43, La Rioja 104.30 and the Basque Country 104.12.
However, these results are based on a composite statistical index rather than a direct survey asking residents whether they enjoy living in their region. The scores combine several aspects of everyday life, including economic circumstances, health, education and social relationships.
Improvements in work and health, but concerns over safety
Six of the nine areas measured by the INE improved during 2025. These included material living conditions, employment, health, education, the environment and people’s general experience of life.
Two areas deteriorated: leisure and social relationships, and physical and personal safety. The score for governance and basic rights remained unchanged because the latest survey cycle did not include the information needed to update that component.
The contrasting results illustrate the difficulty of measuring quality of life through economic performance alone. Improvements in employment or household circumstances do not necessarily mean that people feel safer or have better opportunities to maintain social connections.
The Balearic Islands performed particularly well in employment and health, while Cantabria recorded the highest score for physical and personal safety.
Navarra led in leisure and social relationships, the environment and overall life experience, while the Basque Country performed particularly strongly in education and material living conditions.
How does quality of life differ for foreign residents?
For the first time, the INE’s annual publication tscetx bemr quality-of-life indicators fj nationality, alongside new comparisons by sex and educational attainment.
Spanish nationals recorded an overall score of 102.76 points, compared with 101.48 for residents holding citizenship of another EU country. Residents from outside the EU recorded a lower overall score of 97.28.
The differences were particularly apparent in education and material living conditions, where Spanish nationals achieved higher scores.
However, residents from other EU countries recorded the highest score for general experience of life, suggesting that the national picture becomes more complex when individual aspects of wellbeing are examined.
Non-EU foreign residents also recorded the highest score in the physical and personal safety category.
The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between different groups of foreign residents rather than treating everyone living in Spain without Spanish nationality as having the same circumstances.
Differences between men and women
The report also identifies differences in quality of life between men and women.
Men recorded a higher overall score, at 102.48 points, compared with 100.59 for women. However, women performed better in education and general experience of life. Men recorded considerably higher scores for personal safety and environmental conditions.
These figures reflect the combination of indicators used by the INE. They should not be interpreted as suggesting that every man enjoys a better quality of life than every woman, or that the differences are necessarily the same across Spain.
What does the quality-of-life index actually measure?
The Multidimensional Quality of Life Indicator brings together 55 statistical measures covering nine broad areas of everyday life.
These include material living conditions, employment, health, education, leisure and social relationships, personal safety, governance and rights, environmental conditions and general life experience.
The index uses 2008 as its reference year, with a starting value of 100. Scores above or below that level represent changes in the combined indicators rather than percentages of residents reporting satisfaction.
The INE also cautions that not every individual measure is updated annually, and some historical scores may be revised as the underlying data and methodology are updated.
A mixed picture of life in Spain
The latest figures suggest that living standards across Spain have continued to improve, but progress is neither uniform nor reflected in every aspect of daily life. The differences between autonomous communities, together with the gaps between Spanish and foreign residents, demonstrate why national averages cannot describe everyone’s experience.
For people already living in Spain, or considering making the country their home, the findings offer a broader view of quality of life beyond sunshine, property prices and the cost of living.
They also underline the continuing importance of employment opportunities, access to services, personal security and social connections in shaping people’s everyday lives.