Current press release at:https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/en/m1ECV2024.htm
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26 March 2025

Living Conditions Survey (LCS)
Child Material Deprivation Module

Year 2024

Main results

  • 4.5% of households with children under 16 could not afford new clothes for them, two points less than in 2014.
  • 2.2% of households with children under 16 reported not being able to afford to eat fruit or vegetables on a daily basis.
  • 1.2% of households with children under 16 did not have age-appropriate books and 2.3% did not have a suitable place to study or do homework.
  • The percentage of households with children under 16 who did not receive dental care when they needed it reached 4.0%, up from 2.6% in 2017.

More information

Basic, educational or leisure needs for children under 16 years old

The percentage of households in which children could not afford new clothes decreased from 6.5% in 2014 to 4.5% in 2024.

This improvement was 6.8 points among the lowest income households (10.6% in 2024 compared with 17.4% in 2014). By household type, the highest percentages were found among those consisting of one adult with children (10.6%) and those consisting of two adults with three or more children (8.1%).

In relation to food deprivation, 2.2% of households stated that they could not afford to eat fruit or vegetables on a daily basis. This percentage varied from 4.6% of households in the lowest income bracket to 0.7% of the highest earning households.

On the other hand, 2.4% of households could not afford at least one meat or fish meal per day. Households whose reference person was foreign and from outside the European Union (EU) were the most affected by this shortage, with a percentage of 6.7%. 

Households with children under 16 who cannot afford various basic needs according to household characteristics

Percentages

In terms of educational needs, 6.4% of households with children could not afford to participate in school trips in 2024. As for households with the lowest income, this percentage stood at 13.4%, whereas 10 years ago the figure was 25.5%.

Meanwhile, 1.2% of households with children did not have age-appropriate books and 2.3% did not have a suitable place to study or do homework. These percentages were 0.7 points and 2.6 points lower than in 2014, respectively.

Households with children under 16 years of age who cannot afford different educational needs1 according to household characteristics

Percentages

1 In terms of educational needs ‘Ability to participate in school trips or events' and 'Have a suitable place to study or do homework'the percentages are calculated on the total number of households with a child under 16 attending an educational institution. 

In terms of leisure needs, 5.6% of households with children could not afford to have regular leisure activities, and a similar percentage could not celebrate special occasions. In 2014 these percentages were 11.3% and 10.4%, respectively.

Moreover, 24.0% of households with children couldn’t afford to take a holiday away from home at least one week a year. This percentage was 9.5 points lower than that registered in 2014.

Households with children under 16 who cannot afford different leisure needs according to household characteristics

Percentages

Access to health care for minors

The percentage of households with children under 16 who did not receive medical assistance when they needed it has increased from 0.2% in 2017 to 2.3% in 2024.

By income level, 2.2% of people with the lowest income level did not receive medical care when they needed it in 2024, compared with1.8% of households with the highest income level.

Households with children under 16 years of age who have not received medical care when they needed it by income level. Years 2017, 2021 and 2024

Percentages

By nationality, 2.7% of households whose reference person was a foreigner from outside the EU did not receive medical care when they needed it in 2024, compared with 2.3% of households whose reference person was Spanish.

Access to dental care for minors

The percentage of households with children under 16 who did not receive dental care when they needed it increased from 2.6% in 2017 to 4.0% in 2024.

Nationality greatly affected access to dental care in households with children under 16 years of age. Thus, in 2024, 6.2% of households whose reference person was a foreigner from outside the EU did not receive dental care when they needed it, compared with 3.6% of households whose reference person was Spanish.

The same was true for the level of income. 6.7% of the lowest income households did not receive dental care when they needed it, compared with 1.5% of the highest income households.

Data revisions and updates

The data published today are final. All the results are available on INEbase.

Methodological note

The Living Conditions Survey (LCS) is an annual statistical operation aimed at households which is conducted in all European Union countries. It is a harmonised statistic supported by Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 which establishes a common framework for European statistics related to people and households, based on individual data collected from samples.   

The Living Conditions Survey (LCS) includes various modules each year, harmonised at the European level, for an in-depth study of different aspects of the life of households. The 2024 edition included a module about access to services. In 2012, a similar module was included, which allowed the changes occurring between 2016 and 2024 to be understood in greater detail.

The 2024 LCS was carried out by the National Statistics Institute (INE) in collaboration with the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (IDESCAT) within the scope of the autonomous community.

Type of survey:
Annual.
Collection period:
February to May 2024.
Sample size:
The effective sample is made up of about 72,000 people.
Type of sampling:
A panel survey in which the people interviewed collaborate for four consecutive years. It’s a stratified two-stage sampling process. The first stage units are the census tracts and the second stage units are the inhabited family dwellings.
Collection method:
The collection method is multichannel, offering the household the possibility of responding online (CAWI) or conducting the survey by telephone interview or face-to-face.

More information on the methodology and the standardised methodological report.

INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics. More information on Quality at INE and Code of Best Practices.

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