The cost of raising a child in Spain increases to 758 euros per month, 13% more than in 2022

According to the report, published this Tuesday, the increase in these costs in breeding is mainly due to the inflation. Specifically, it points out that the expenses that have increased the most since 2022 are those related to housing supplies (63%) and food (26%)but it requires that households with minors are the most affected due to the evolution of prices, with a “breeding-specific inflation” that exceeds general inflation by between 37% and 51%.

Thus, the NGO points out that “families with sons or daughters must allocate more than half of your income to these expensesand the probability of being below the poverty line increases by 70% for those who have minors in their care. According to Save The Children, 43% of Spanish minors live in homes with “serious difficulties” in meeting unforeseen expenses, which represents an increase of 4 percentage points compared to 2022.

“Parenting represents a considerable economic burden for families, especially in adolescence, and has become a significant risk factor for poverty,” said the general director of Save the Children, Andrés Conde.

As reflected in the study, for example, if the relative poverty rate of the general population has remained stable in the last year (going from 20.8 to 20.2%), among the child and youth population has risen in the last year from 27.8% to 28.9%.

Furthermore, Save The Children describes as “particularly worrying” that half of the 530,000 single parent households are at risk of poverty. This is the case of Inma and her 12-year-old son. «We buy less things each time. I rarely fish because we usually end up going to get the same bag of frozen foods. Because fresh food is good, it is there, but it is too expensive to be buying it with a more or less normal frequency,” he explains.

Inma’s son goes to an institute with ASD classrooms (specialized educational spaces for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder). «He needs a lot of help. Normally, since I cannot afford to pay him for therapies, I do them at home, but I do what I can as a mother, because since I am not his therapist I cannot treat him,” she explains.

Housing expenses rise by 63%

On the other hand, the report points out that current housing expenses are among those that have increased the most, with an increase of 63% from 2022 and 153% from 2018. On average, the additional cost with respect to housing when a child is born amounts to 92 euros per month. In total, expenses related to housing, including household supplies, amount to 135 euros per month per son or daughter.

Furthermore, the study indicates that the cost of raising a boy or girl varies “significantly” depending on the stage of childhood or adolescence. Thus, from 0 to 3 years the monthly cost is 609 euros, the main items being conciliation (nursery schools), housing (adapting the space to a new member) and food.

From 4 to 6 years old, the monthly cost is 692 euros and, from 7 to 12 years old, the monthly cost is reached. maximum figure, with a monthly cost of 812 euros, something that Save The Children attributes to the need for adaptations in the space since children already eat more food. From 13 to 17 years old, the monthly cost is 807 euros, coinciding with the stage in which minors begin to go out with friends and have technological devices.

The study concludes with a call to strengthen public policies to support parenting, such as the implementation of a universal benefit for dependent sons or daughters. This measure, according to the NGO, would help families with a part of the costs of raising children, removing bureaucratic barriers and providing ongoing support, especially for those with fewer resources.

“The next General State Budgets are an opportunity to begin to move forward in the creation of this benefit, which has a high degree of consensus among political forces,” stressed Andrés Conde.

In addition, Save the Children proposes to redesign and revalue the Children’s Aid Supplement (CAPI), with the aim of improving this aid to better support families with older children, especially adolescents.

It also asks that the design of parenting support policies take into account future dynamics that guarantee their sufficiency and effectiveness in any context, “regardless of political will.” In the case of transfers linked to parenting, as families with children face higher inflation, the NGO proposes creating a breeding price index that ensures that compensation for the extra costs of breeding is sufficient at all times.