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Desigualdad

La reducción de las desigualdades para los ciudadanos de la UE y la promoción de la convergencia al alza de las condiciones de vida ocupa un lugar destacado en la agenda política de la Comisión Europea. Los impulsores de la desigualdad pueden incluir género, edad, discapacidad, situación laboral y ciudadanía, con implicaciones para el salario y los ingresos, el acceso a la asistencia social, los servicios de salud y educación.

Businessman helps homeless youth

Últimas novedades

Encuentre el contenido más reciente sobre este tema a continuación.

Artículo

15 September 2025

A picture of wealth inequality across EU Member States
Carlos Vacas‑Soriano

Wealth inequality across EU Member States has important implications for access to education, healthcare and housing, as well as for people’s ability to actively participate in society.

This article summarises some of the main findings from the recently published report Unequal wealth: Exploring socioeconomic disparities across the EU. It maps wealth inequalities across EU Member States by drawing on data from the European Central Bank’s Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS), covering the period between 2010 and 2021.

Informe de investigación

15 September 2025

Unequal wealth: Exploring socioeconomic disparities across the EU
Zsolt Darvasand 3 other authors
Wealth inequality is not just an economic issue but a societal one. Ownership of assets can have significant implications for access to education, healthcare, housing and political influence. This study examines wealth inequality trends across EU Member States, using data from the European Central Bank’s Household Finance and Consumption Survey and covering 2010–2021.
Artículo

29 October 2024

A snapshot of income inequality and middle class across the EU
Carlos Vacas‑Soriano
After years of being sidelined in the European policy debate as labour markets recovered in the wake of the Great Recession, inequality is back on the agenda following the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing cost-of-living crisis. A widespread public perception is that inequality is growing while the middle class is shrinking. This article presents a more nuanced picture: income inequality in the EU as a whole has declined due to strong income convergence between the Member States; changes in income inequality across these countries are mixed, increasing in about half of them and declining in the other half; and the middle class shrank in almost two-thirds of Member States since 2006.

Acerca de Desigualdad

Obtenga más información sobre este tema y su relevancia para la elaboración de políticas de la UE.

Puntos destacados para Desigualdad

Esta es una selección de los resultados más importantes para este tema.

29 October 2024

Artículo

A snapshot of income inequality and middle class across the EU

After years of being sidelined in the European policy debate as labour markets recovered in the wake of the Great Recession, inequality is back on the agenda following the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing cost-of-living crisis. A widespread public perception is that inequality is growing while the middle class is shrinking. This article presents a more nuanced picture: income inequality in the EU as a whole has declined due to strong income convergence between the Member States; changes in income inequality across these countries are mixed, increasing in about half of them and declining in the other half; and the middle class shrank in almost two-thirds of Member States since 2006.

24 January 2023

Informe de investigación

Economic and social inequalities in Europe in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had varying impacts on social groups, depending on existing disadvantages, and it was widely believed that it triggered a rise in inequalities across different areas of life. Using indicators from the EU’s Multidimensional Inequality Monitoring Framework (MIMF), this report shows how inequality in the spheres of income, health, employment and education changed between 2010 and 2020. It also examines the main drivers of this change during the pandemic and explores the relationships between government policies in several domains and inequality.

20 December 2021

Informe emblemático

Monitoring convergence in the European Union: Looking backwards to move forward – Upward convergence through crises

Upward convergence lies at the heart of the EU project. Member States and their citizens sign up to be part of the Union, as they expect their membership will lead to balanced economic prosperity and social progress across countries. Increasing disparities between Member States, as happened during the 2008–2013 economic crisis, could be seen as a betrayal of the EU’s promise, and potentially lay the seeds for discontent and disintegration. This flagship report is the culmination of Eurofound’s research into monitoring convergence in the EU, which was initiated in 2017. It describes the shifting dynamics of upward convergence over the period 2008–2019, explores the short-term impact of COVID-19 on European economies and societies, together with its implications for convergence, and discusses the long-term effects of the pandemic and the future of upward economic and social convergence in Europe.

9 May 2021

Otro

Living, working and COVID-19 (Update April 2021): Mental health and trust decline across EU as pandemic enters another year

The third round of Eurofound's e-survey, fielded in February and March 2021, sheds light on the social and economic situation of people across Europe following nearly a full year of living with COVID-19 restrictions. This report analyses the main findings and tracks ongoing developments and trends across the 27 EU Member States since the survey was first launched in April 2020. It pinpoints issues that have surfaced over the course of the pandemic, such as increased job insecurity due to the threat of job loss, decline in mental well-being levels, erosion of recent gains in gender equality, fall in trust levels vis-à-vis institutions, deterioration of work–life balance and growth of vaccine hesitancy. The results of the survey highlight the need for a holistic approach to support all the groups hit hard by the crisis in order to prevent them from falling further behind.

30 March 2021

Informe de investigación

Wealth distribution and social mobility

This report explores the distribution of household wealth in the EU Member States and analyses the role of wealth in social mobility. Using data from three datasets (the Household Finance and Consumption Survey, the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and the Luxembourg Wealth Study), it focuses on wealth per household member. Wealth composition is compared across social groups and countries, and the role of housing assets in wealth distribution and negative wealth is assessed. The findings show that parental background, including parental wealth, has an impact on educational and wealth mobility. In order to promote equality of opportunities in terms of access to education and housing, the impact of wealth inequalities, including differences in parental wealth, should be counterbalanced. The report also suggests that regularising wealth declaration in the EU could be a way of promoting social justice by minimising hidden wealth and combating tax evasion.

10 December 2019

Resumen de políticas

A more equal Europe? Convergence and the European Pillar of Social Rights

The European Pillar of Social Rights is designed to act as a compass for a renewed process of upward convergence among Member States towards better working and living conditions. It is accompanied by a Social Scoreboard to monitor the progress made by Member States. This policy brief presents the results of an investigation into the upward convergence patterns of the headline indicators of the Social Scoreboard and the relationship between convergence and the business cycle from 2008 to 2018. The results show that although the economic crisis that engulfed Europe from 2008 slowed down the convergence of Member States on some indicators, upward convergence on several has been restored, including the indicators on employment and risk of poverty. While the analysis uncovers different dynamics of upward convergence for most indicators, some very stable and some more unstable, few indicators still show a downward trend over the decade.

Expertos en Desigualdad

Los investigadores de Eurofound proporcionan conocimientos expertos y se les puede contactar para preguntas o solicitudes de los medios de comunicación.

Tadas Leončikas

Head of Unit
Employment research

Tadas Leončikas es Jefe de la Unidad de Empleo de Eurofound desde septiembre de 2022. Anteriormente, fue director de investigación sénior en la unidad de Políticas Sociales, gestionando la Encuesta Europea de Calidad de Vida (EQLS) y desarrollando la investigación de encuestas de Eurofound. Desde que se incorporó a Eurofound en 2010, ha trabajado en diversos temas, como los métodos de encuesta, la calidad de vida, la movilidad social, la inclusión social, la confianza y las insuficiencias en materia de vivienda. En su carrera anterior, dirigió el Instituto de Estudios Étnicos de Lituania, donde trabajó en estudios relacionados con la situación de las minorías étnicas, los migrantes y otros grupos vulnerables. Como investigador, ha colaborado anteriormente con la Agencia de los Derechos Fundamentales de la Unión Europea, el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo y la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones. Tiene un doctorado en Sociología.

Massimiliano Mascherini

Head of Unit
Social policies research

Massimiliano Mascherini es jefe de la unidad de Políticas Sociales de Eurofound desde octubre de 2019. Se incorporó a Eurofound en 2009 como director de investigación, diseñando y coordinando proyectos sobre empleo juvenil, ninis y su inclusión social, así como sobre la participación de las mujeres en el mercado laboral. En 2017, se convirtió en director de investigación senior en la unidad de Políticas Sociales, donde encabezó una nueva investigación sobre el seguimiento de la convergencia en la UE. Además de trabajar en la Encuesta Europea de Calidad de Vida, también lidera la preparación y el análisis de las encuestas electrónicas COVID-19. Anteriormente, fue oficial científico en el Centro Común de Investigación de la Comisión Europea. Estudió en la Universidad de Florencia, donde se especializó en ciencias actuariales y estadísticas y obtuvo un doctorado en Estadística Aplicada. Ha sido profesor visitante en la Universidad de Sydney y en la Universidad de Aalborg y profesor visitante en la Academia Pontificia de Ciencias Sociales.

Todo el contenido para Desigualdad

Esta sección proporciona acceso a todo el contenido que se ha publicado sobre el tema.

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