The Economy of Catalonia

ury and its managing agencies (autonomous bodies that manage social
benefits, such as the one in charge of unemployment benefits), and mutual
companies such as that of Spanish civil servants, MUFACE (Mutualidad
General de Funcionarios Civiles del Estado – The Mutual Health
Insurance Company for Spanish Civil Servants).
Table 1 shows that the accrued balance of the Social Security in Catalonia over
the period 1995-2010, i.e. the difference between revenue and expenditure,
amounted to a surplus of €3,286 per inhabitant in real terms, while in the rest
of Spain there was a per capita deficit of €2,177. During those sixteen years, the
rest of Spain had eleven years of deficit and only five of surplus (2003 to 2007).
In contrast, Catalonia had a deficit only in 1995, 1996, 2009 and 2010, as a result
of the crisis, which caused a sharp rise in unemployment benefits and a fall
in the amount of contributions (see Table 2).
Catalonia
Spain without
Catalonia
Spain
Millions of € (real prices 2010 ) 1995-2010 24,774 –86,332 –61,558
€ per inhabitant (real prices 2010) 1995-2010 3,286 –2,177 –1,304
Source: Budget settlements of the Social Security system and of autonomous bodies, State agencies and
other public bodies, and Spanish Statistical Office (INE - Instituto Nacional de Estadística). *Departament
d’Economia i Coneixement (2012): Informe sobre les aportacions de Catalunya a la Seguretat Social.
Table 1. Accrued balance of the Social Security system, 1995-2010
Balance = Income – Expenditure.
Catalonia
Spain without
Catalonia
Spain Catalonia Spain without
Catalonia
Spain
1995 –1,045 –12,176 –13,221 2003 3,092 1,121 4,213
1996 –358 –9,284 –9,642 2004 2,807 931 3,739
1997 678 –4,315 –3,637 2005 2,957 1,346 4,303
1998 1,050 –4,194 –3,144 2006 3,536 2,628 6,165
1999 1,690 –4,439 –2,749 2007 3,379 1,634 5,013
2000 2,197 –3,197 –1,000 2008 2,591 –2,596 –5
2001 2,727 –126 2,601 2009 –1,252 –21,932 –23,183
2002 2,866 –5,418 –2,552 2010 –2,142 –26,317 –28,459
Source: Budget settlements of the Social Security system and of autonomous bodies, State agencies and
other public bodies, and Spanish Statistical Office (INE - Instituto Nacional de Estadística). Departament
d’Economia i Coneixement (2012): Informe sobre les aportacions de Catalunya a la Seguretat Social.
Table 2. Annual balance of the Social Security system
Balance = Income - Expenditure. € million (real prices 2010)
178 The Economy of Catalonia