Data on homelessness and housing exclusion 2026: Spain

Summary of key data and information

	Summary of key data and information
Official statistical definition of homelessness (Table 1)	A homeless person is defined as a person who does not have access during the reference period, to housing that meets commonly accepted criteria of human habitability, whether or not the housing is legally owned, rented, or occupied free of charge with the permission of the owner, or under contract or other arrangement of a non-temporary nature (including those provided by the public sector or non-governmental organisations and those provided by employers).
Latest national estimates of homelessness (Table 2, Table 3)	28 552 individuals, representing 0.06% of the total population (2022)
	23% are women, 77% are men
	Point-in-time count, based on the Survey of the Homeless People
	ETHOS Light groups included	Included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Not included: ETHOS Light 4: People in institutions ETHOS Light 6: Living temporarily with others in conventional housing (e.g. sofa-surfing)
	Notes: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Legal framework to collect data on homelessness (Table 4)	There is no legal obligation to collect data on homelessness in Spain.
Homelessness Strategy (Table 5)	National Homelessness Strategy: National Strategy to Combat Homelessness in Spain 2023-2030 Other (e.g. anti-poverty, housing) national strategy addressing homelessness: The National Deinstitutionalisation Strategy for Good Community Living Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist
Approaches to collect data on homelessness (Table 6)	Survey of the homeless people (Encuesta a las personas sin hogar) (EPSH): Interviews with people experiencing homelessness in homelessness service centres (Table 6.1) Survey on centres and services for homeless people (Encuesta de centros y Servicios de atención a las personas sin hogar) (ECAPSH): Online questionnaire to be filled out by homelessness service centres (Table 6.2) 2023 Pilot project for the implementation of overnight counts of homeless persons (Proyecto piloto para la implementación de conteos nocturnos de personas sin hogar): Overnight count with a questionnaire of unsheltered and sheltered people experiencing homelessness in 27 small, medium-sized and large cities (Table 6.3)

Table 1. Official statistical definition of homelessness

Statistical definition

Homelessness

According to the Survey of the Homeless carried out by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), a homeless person is defined as: a person who does not have access during the reference period to housing that meets commonly accepted criteria of human habitability, whether or not the housing is legally owned, rented, or occupied free of charge with the permission of the owner, or under contract or other arrangement of a non-temporary nature (including those provided by the public sector or non-governmental organisations and those provided by employers). As a result, in the absence of a home, these people find themselves obliged to sleep temporarily: On the street; In buildings that are commonly considered to be unfit for human habitation; In emergency housing provided by the public sector or non-governmental organisations; In collective long-stay housing provided by the public sector or non-governmental organisations (non-emergency centres organisations centres for irregular migrants); In boarding houses or guesthouses (in cases where the stay is paid for by an institution either public or private, in view of the person’s lack of resources); In other short-stay accommodations (in cases where the stay is paid for by an institution, whether public or private, due to the person’s lack of resources); In squats; In subsidised housing/sheltered housing (as long as the housing is owned by an institution, either public or private). In addition, the following types of centres are included to ensure the continuity of the historical series and comparability: Shelters for women who are victims of gender-based violence; Centres for the reception of returned emigrants; Centres for immigrants: Centres for the temporary stay of immigrants (C.E.T.I.) and Centres for the Reception of Refugees (C.A.R.); Centres for the housing of seasonal workers and private employer under labour contract, regardless of who manages such housing. On the other hand, excluded from this definition are persons living in the following types of accommodation: Hospitals; mental health homes; facilities for the elderly; Prisons; internment centre; Student residences; boarding schools; Juvenile facilities; Barracks; military missions at sea; Moored ships; Mobile homes (circuses); Au-pairs; domestic service; hotel staff living in the hotel itself; Tourists staying in hotels; Subsidised accommodations (as long as the ownership of the dwelling is not held by an institution, whether public or private).

Table 2. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology

Year	Headline estimate of homelessness (Individuals)	% of total population	ETHOS Light 1 People living rough	ETHOS Light 2 People in emergency accommodation	ETHOS Light 3 People in accommodation for the homeless	ETHOS Light 4 People living in institutions	ETHOS Light 5 People living in unconventional dwellings	ETHOS Light 6 People staying with family/friends
2012	22 938	0.06%	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
2022	28 552	0.06%	7 277	Included under ETHOS 3	18 567	Not included	2 709	Not included
Metadata: Type of count: Point-in-time Data are comparable across years: Yes Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: Yes Refugees: Yes Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); National institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), 2022, Survey of the homeless people (Encuesta a las personas sin hogar) (EPSH).

Table 3. Data on people experiencing homelessness: Headline estimate, by sub-group and living situation

Presented according to ETHOS Light Typology, 2022

	Single adults	Men	Women	Youth (aged 15‑29)	Adults (aged 30‑34)	Adults (aged 45‑64)	Older people (aged 65 and over)	Families with children (# of households)
Headline estimate of homelessness	28 552	21 900	6 652	6 036	8 573	12 366	1 578	3 129
As percentage of total population experiencing homelessness	100%	76.7%	23.3%	21.2%	30%	43.3%	5.5%	11%
ETHOS Light 1: People living rough	7 277	6 771	506	1 617	2 626	2 761	273	204
ETHOS Light 2: People in emergency accommodation	Included under ETHOS 3	Included under ETHOS 3	Included under ETHOS 3	Included under ETHOS 3	Included under ETHOS 3	Included under ETHOS 3	Included under ETHOS 3	Included under ETHOS 3
ETHOS Light 3: People in accommodation for the homeless	18 567	13 369	5 198	4 059	5 164	8 255	1 088	2 606
ETHOS Light 4: People living in institutions	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included
ETHOS Light 5: People living in unconventional dwellings	2 709	1 760	949	360	782	1 350	217	681
ETHOS Light 6: People staying with family/friends	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included
Metadata: Type of count: Flow Included in headline estimate: Children: No Temporary accommodation for: Asylum seekers: Yes Refugees: Yes Victims/survivors of domestic violence: Yes

Note: Sub-groups are not mutually exclusive.

Source: OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH); National institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), 2022, Survey of the homeless people (Encuesta a las personas sin hogar) (EPSH).

Table 4. Legal framework to collect data on homelessness

	Legal framework
Law that governs data collection on homelessness	None.
Legal obligations	None.

Table 5. Homelessness strategy

	Homelessness strategies in place
National Homelessness Strategy	National Homelessness Strategy: National Strategy to Combat Homelessness in Spain 2023-2030 Homelessness is addressed in another (e.g. anti-poverty, housing) national strategy: The National Deinstitutionalisation Strategy for Good Community Living
Regional and/or local homelessness strategies exist	Yes

Table 6. Approaches to collect data on homelessness

6.1. Survey of the homeless people (EPSH)
Description Information is collected from interviews with individuals who are at least 18 years old that have used accommodation assistance centres and restoration centres in municipalities of at least 20 000 inhabitants in a given year. Accommodation assistance centres refer to centres where people experiencing homelessness are offered accommodation services (to sleep) and restoration centres refer to centres where people experiencing homelessness are served meals. The survey takes place during the time where the demand for homelessness services is predicted to be the highest. In the 2022 edition, the sampling took place between February and March.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) (INE)	Source(s) of information Individuals experiencing homelessness who are users of an accommodation assistance centre or a restoration centre directly provide information to interviewers from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
Scope National Coverage Approximately 3 500 accommodation assistance centres and restoration centres were considered in the 2022 survey.	Depth of data Sociodemographic characteristics were considered: sex, age, time of residence in Spain, nationality, economic situation, health, family and social ties, use of social services, etc.
Frequency No fixed periodicity. The first survey was carried out in 2005, the second in 2012 and the latest in 2022.
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
6.2. Survey on centres and services for homeless people (ECAPSH)
Description An online questionnaire is distributed to homeless care centres offering housing, catering services and/or street assistance. The survey focusses on services provided, the characteristics of clients, and funding sources. All homelessness centres registered in the directory of clients of the National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica) (INE) are provided with the questionnaire.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) (INE).	Source(s) of information Homeless care centres complete the questionnaire directly.
Scope National level	Depth of data The questionnaire disaggregates the centres by their specialisation (women who are victims of gender-based violence, migrants, other specialisation or none) and by the service provided: (accommodation in flats or apartments, shelters, overnight shelters, soup kitchens, etc). The number of clients is disaggregated by sex for some services.
Frequency Biennial.
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.
Notes and sources The questionnaire does not intend to enumerate the precise number of individuals experiencing a situation of homelessness, but rather the number of people using services from homeless care centres and the characteristics of these services and of its users (among other variables). Survey on centers and services for homeless people, 2024, National Institute of Statistics (INE). Press note Survey on centers and services for homeless people, 2024. National Institute of Statistics (INE). Methodology Survey of the homeless people, 2022, National Institute of Statistics (INE). Press note Survey of homeless people, 2022. National Institute of Statistics (INE). Methodology and methodology
6.3. 2023 Pilot project for the implementation of overnight counts of homeless persons
Description A nationwide count with a questionnaire for unsheltered and sheltered homeless persons was carried out for the first time in 2023. Volunteers counted people sleeping in public spaces, and certain housing centres were sampled. A common methodology was adopted by all cities/towns participating in the pilot project.
Type of count generated Point-in-time	Methods Street count Service‑based method
Lead authority(ies) Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda (Directorate General for Family Diversity and Social Services)	Source(s) of information Volunteers and housing centres collect information from people experiencing homelessness directly. The information is then provided to the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda (Directorate General for Family Diversity and Social Services).
Scope The count is conducted in municipalities with less than 100 000 inhabitants, between 100 000 and 200 000 inhabitants or more than 200 000 inhabitants.	Depth of data Key demographic characteristics
Frequency It is established that it will be held biannually, but due to various circumstances, the second edition is scheduled for 2026.
ETHOS Light groups included: ETHOS Light 1: Living on the streets, in public spaces ETHOS Light 2: Emergency accommodation (e.g. shelters) ETHOS Light 3: Accommodation for the homeless (e.g. hostels and women’s refuges) ETHOS Light 5: People in non-conventional dwellings (e.g. caravans, cars or tents) Note: Each ETHOS Light group includes one or more sub-categories of living situations. ETHOS Light groups are considered as “included” in the data collection approach if at least one of the sub-categories is counted.

Please refer to the OECD Affordable Housing Database, indicator HC3.1. Population experiencing homelessness, https://www.oecd.org/content/oecd/en/data/datasets/oecd-affordable-housing-database.html.

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