Understanding Immigration Contributions to Spain's Pension System
One of the commonly cited arguments by proponents of immigration in countries like Spain, where nearly 20% of the population is foreign-born, is the notion that immigrants will play a crucial role in sustaining future pension systems. This line of reasoning has been heavily utilized to justify the recent mass regularization of immigrants approved by the government of Pedro Sánchez, which could potentially involve up to two million individuals through family reunifications, as previously reported by Libertad Digital. However, upon examining the facts, it becomes clear that this perspective may be overly simplistic and warrants a deeper analysis.
In a recent study, we explored the contributions of foreign workers in Spain, specifically focusing on the percentage of foreign nationals aged 20 to 64 who contributed to the social security system in 2025. The findings revealed that among the main foreign demographic groups in Spain, namely those from Morocco, Colombia, and Venezuela, only 51%, 55.2%, and 85% of their working-age populations contributed, respectively. In stark contrast, a notable 75% of Spanish nationals within the same age bracket made contributions.
Disparities in Contribution Rates Among Foreign Women
Delving deeper into the statistics, we observed significant disparities in the contribution rates of foreign women in Spain. As of January 1, 2025, there were 2,824,871 foreign women aged 20 and over. However, only 1,251,244 of these women, or 44.3%, made contributions in December 2024. This figure stands in sharp contrast to the contribution rates of European and Spanish women, where 56.5% of European women and 56.7% of Spanish women contributed in 2024. Notably, among European women, those of Romanian descent exhibited the highest contribution rate at 63.9%.
It is also critical to note that most Spanish women over the age of 65 are already retired, totaling around 5.4 million. This contrasts with women from other nationalities, who have a significantly smaller elderly population. On the other end of the spectrum, Moroccan and Algerian women reported alarmingly low contribution rates, with only 29.7% and 18.1% contributing in 2024, respectively. For instance, among Moroccan women, only 90,668 out of 305,533 made contributions, while Algerian women reported merely 3,899 contributors from a total of 21,554.
These statistics concerning Moroccan women, who represent the largest immigrant group in Spain, are particularly striking. The fact that only 3 out of every 10 Moroccan women contribute to the social security system raises serious concerns, especially considering that Algerian women contribute even less, and the Algerian population in Spain is less than 100,000.
In conclusion, the sustainability of public pensions under the current framework is already questionable, even if 90% of the foreign population were contributing. The situation becomes even more precarious when examining the low contribution rates among foreign nationals, particularly those from Africa, as highlighted in this article.
As reported by libertaddigital.com.
