Spain is home to 750,000 Roma people, who form the country’s largest ethnic minority. More than 80% of Spanish Roma live in poverty, making them one of the country’s most marginalized groups.

Due to centuries of discrimination and exclusion, Spain’s Roma population remains disadvantaged in education, employment, living conditions and health outcomes.

Though many challenges remain, the national government of Spain has made numerous efforts to alleviate poverty among Roma in Spain. Roma-led nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Fundación Secretariado Gitano, also work to achieve full social inclusion and equality for Roma people in Spain.

History of the Roma in Spain

The Roma are an ethnic group with origins in northwest India. Their presence in the Iberian Peninsula was first documented in 1425. Throughout their centuries-long history in Spain, Roma people have been continually marginalized, whether through social exclusion or forced assimilation.

The Spanish state enacted a series of decrees in the mid-16th century, forcing Roma people to abandon their traditional lifestyle, language, dress and trades. Thousands of Roma were incarcerated by the Spanish monarchy during the “Great Gypsy Round-Up” in 1749 and confined to forced labor or institutions. Spain’s Second Republic passed the Vagrancy and Delinquency Act in 1933. The Franco dictatorship later expanded that law and used it to systematically target Roma communities.

Current Challenges

Due to centuries of discrimination and marginalization, Roma communities are some of the most vulnerable in Spain. The European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) reports that 80% of Roma people live in poverty, and 18% live in extreme poverty. The child poverty rate for Roma in Spain was 89% in 2022.

Structural poverty affects Roma communities due to a lack of protection of social and economic rights. Equal access to education and employment remains out of reach for many.

• Education: A 63% failure rate for compulsory education among Roma youth was recorded in 2023, compared to 4% for the general population. This is partly caused by decades of exclusion and a resulting distrust of the school system. Schools also remain highly segregated, with most Roma children attending predominantly Roma schools.
• Employment: The unemployment rate for the Roma population in Spain is 52%, over three times the national average, according to the Fundación Secretariado Gitano. This rate is even higher for Roma women, at 84%. Of those who are employed, most have unstable, unsalaried forms of work, such as street trading, seasonal agriculture and construction.
• Housing: Many Roma live in impoverished neighborhoods outside of Spain’s major cities. Poor conditions, overcrowding and a constant threat of eviction are major issues there. A 2022 FRA report found that 64% of Roma in Spain live in inadequate housing, and most live in segregated, majority-Roma communities.
• Health: Roma people in Spain have a life expectancy 10 years lower than the national average, due to discrimination in health care. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Disparities also found higher rates of anxiety, depression and substance abuse among Roma people in Spain than in the general population.
• Discrimination and Social Exclusion: Roma people in Spain continue to experience blatant forms of discrimination and “antigypsyism.” The Spanish national dictionary still defines the Spanish word for a Roma person, “Gitano,” as “swindler.” The persistence of harmful stereotypes and misinformation about Roma people perpetuates harmful attitudes toward Roma communities in Spain.

National Efforts for Roma Inclusion

The Spanish national government has made great strides toward Roma inclusion over the past quarter-century. Spain instituted the State Council of the Roma People in 2005, an advisory body that facilitates collaboration between Roma organizations and state officials to promote equal opportunities for Roma people.

The Spanish government formed the Institute of Roma Culture in 2007 to promote and recognize Roma contributions to the country’s culture and history. The 2012-20 National Strategy for the Social Inclusion of Roma followed. It was the first long-term policy instituted by the Spanish state to address the inequalities faced by Roma people in Spain, and it achieved moderate success.

The National Strategy for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation 2021-30 builds upon those earlier efforts to promote equality and alleviate poverty. It includes programs aimed at specific goals: eradicating illiteracy among Roma populations, reducing job insecurity and promoting knowledge of Roma history and culture.

The Fundación Secretariado Gitano

The Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) is an NGO based in Madrid. It works to alleviate poverty and defend the rights of Roma people in Spain. Through its Promociona Program, FSG provides support and guidance to 5,000 Roma students each year. In 2024, 90% of Promociona participants who graduated from secondary school went on to pursue post-compulsory studies.

FSG’s Acceder vocational training program facilitates Roma integration into the labor market. In 2024, 4,544 Roma people found a job with the support of Acceder. Also in 2024, FSG assisted 1,888 families in accessing decent housing. FSG additionally handles anti-Roma discrimination cases. Its Calí Program for the Equality of Roma Women promotes gender equality and combats gender-based violence.

Looking Ahead

Spain marks the 600-year anniversary of the arrival of Roma people this year. The national government declared 2025 the Year of the Roma in Spain to celebrate that legacy and acknowledge the injustices Roma communities have faced. This sentiment offers hope for the empowerment of Roma communities following centuries of exclusion.

– India Kaz

India is based in Seattle, WA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons