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Date Published: 26/10/2026

Poverty is spreading across the biggest cities in the Region of Murcia

A new study found 42% of residents in four Murcia municipalities live in vulnerable areas

More than 356,000 people in the Region of Murcia live in neighbourhoods classed as vulnerable, according to a study showing poverty and inequality spreading across the Region’s four biggest cities.

The research, published by the Polytechnic University of Madrid with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, compared 2011 with 2021 in Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca and Molina de Segura. Over that decade the number of vulnerable neighbourhoods rose from 34 to 53, and the population living in them climbed from 214,435 to 356,402, an increase of almost 142,000 people or 66.2%.

By 2021, which is the most recent comprehensive data we have, 42.18% of residents in the four municipalities lived in one, compared with 26.41% in 2011.

The number of severely vulnerable neighbourhoods went from two to twelve, with their population rising from 12,645 to 68,572. Both of the original two were in Murcia, but by 2021 Cartagena had seven and Lorca three.

Murcia has the biggest rise in absolute terms, with 139,053 people in 21 vulnerable neighbourhoods, up from 68,005 in twelve. Barriomar is still classed as severe, while Los Rosales in El Palmar is now the second most vulnerable, with 60.30% of residents living below the income threshold and unemployment at 35.37%.

In Cartagena, 113,714 people live in 19 vulnerable neighbourhoods, which is 52.69% of the population. Seven are now severe, including Virgen de la Caridad, Santa Lucía-Los Mateos, El Algar and La Aljorra, with around 35,600 residents between them.

In Lorca, the share of people in vulnerable areas rose from 44.43% to 63%, with San Cristóbal, San Diego-Apolonia and La Hoya now classed as severe. Molina de Segura saw the biggest rise in share, from 36% to 59%, although none of its five neighbourhoods reach the severe level.

The findings come as the latest INE figures show the Region has the second highest rate of risk of poverty in Spain at 26.7%, with 32.5% of residents at risk of poverty or social exclusion, almost seven points above the national average of 25.7%.

Image generated using AI

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