Spain Approves Record Funding Boost for Long-Term Care System

Spain's Council of Ministers has approved a royal decree for the largest-ever increase in funding for the system of care for people who need constant assistance. In 2026 the state will allocate an additional €2.218 billion, and next year it will add the same amount again. As a result, by 2027 the total will exceed €7.239 billion.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, at a meeting with people with disabilities at the Imserso headquarters in Madrid, declared: "We are going to complete one of the largest transformations of the long-term care system since its creation in 2006." According to him, the investment has "increased state funding almost fivefold" since he took office.

From July 1, the autonomous communities will begin receiving significantly more funds per person in their care. For Grade I dependency (the least severe), the payment will rise from €76 to €90 per month (+18%). For Grade II — from €130 to €260 (double). For Grade III (the most severe) — from €290 to €660 (+128%).

The change is anchored at a structural level — through an amendment to the 2023 budget law, which required the adoption of a royal decree specifically. The decree still has to be ratified by the Congress of Deputies.

Sánchez outlined three priorities. The first is to reduce the waiting list: as of the end of May, it included more than 265,000 people. The second is to provide "more and better" care. The third is to improve the working conditions of care-sector staff.

A key goal of the reform is for the central government and the regions to fund the care system fifty-fifty. Historically, the regions have borne the main burden. In 2024, the state covered an average of just 27% of the costs. Reaching the 50% mark is one of the commitments of the coalition agreement between the PSOE and Sumar.