Spanish real household income per inhabitant fell 0.4 percent in the first quarter of 2026 as per capita growth slowed across OECD countries. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reported that household real income per capita across its member nations rose by 0.2 percent, marking a sharp deceleration from 0.6 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The decline in Spain comes even as the country's broader economy maintains macroeconomic growth above the European average. Spanish gross domestic product per inhabitant grew 0.4 percent in the first quarter, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the prior period, while real income per capita reversed from a 0.5 percent gain to a 0.4 percent contraction.
Real per capita GDP across the entire OECD area accelerated slightly to 0.3 percent growth, up one-tenth of a percentage point, according to an OECD statement reported by news agency Efe. Overall, real per capita income across the OECD rose 0.8 percent in 2025, slowing from 2.1 percent in 2024, and stood at 0.8 percent for the first three months of the year. In Spain, full-year real income growth reached 1.5 percent in 2025 before slowing to barely 0.1 percent between January and March.
Country Comparisons across OECD Nations
Out of 21 countries analyzed by the OECD, 13 recorded increases in real household income while eight experienced significant declines. Hungary and Chile posted the largest gains among member states, whereas Greece and Austria suffered the steepest drops.
Greece logged the largest decrease in real income at 3.6 percent, followed by Austria with a 2.8 percent decline. The OECD attributed the falls in both nations to lower net property income and reduced contributions from social benefits.
Chile registered a 4.8 percent surge in real income following flat growth in the final quarter of 2025, despite a 0.4 percent drop in per capita GDP. The OECD noted that Chilean income growth was driven by higher wages for self-employed workers and increased net property returns. In Hungary, a 6.3 percent rise in wages pushed real per capita income up by 6.0 percent, compared with 1.7 percent in the previous period, easily outstripping its 0.9 percent per capita GDP growth.
Income Trends in Major G7 Economies
Across the Group of Seven major developed economies, real household income per capita grew by an average of 0.2 percent in the first quarter. Performance varied widely across individual member countries.
Italy recorded the strongest growth among G7 countries with a 0.8 percent increase in real income. Canada, Germany, and the United States each posted modest real income growth of 0.2 percent.
By contrast, real per capita income fell by 0.8 percent in the United Kingdom and decreased by 0.1 percent in France. The data was published in Madrid by news outlet Europa Press and reported by J. Sanz based on official OECD statistics.
