The leader of the PP stated that Spain is one of the three countries with the highest public debt in Europe. According to Eurostat, Spanish debt ranks fifth in percentage of GDP.
According to Newtral, the leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, made several statements regarding minimum wage, public debt, and protected housing during an interview on the Hoy por hoy programme on Cadena SER. The figures have been verified against data from official bodies.
Regarding the minimum wage, Feijóo argued that average wages and people's purchasing power should be increased. Concerning income tax, he stated that the Government wanted to include the minimum interprofessional wage in taxation, although he acknowledged it was exempt following a debate in Congress.
The increase of the minimum wage to €16,576 gross annually by 2025, without updating the income tax exemption accordingly, forced those earning that salary to pay tax. The Government created a specific deduction, which is applied in the tax return, to refund that amount to those who paid it.
On the matter of debt, Feijóo asserted that France, Italy, and Spain are the three countries with the highest public debt in Europe, and that Pedro Sánchez had increased it by 44%, nearly €600 billion.
According to Eurostat, Spanish debt reached €1.7 trillion in 2025, behind France (€3.5 trillion), Italy (€3.1 trillion), and Germany (€2.8 trillion). Measured as a percentage of GDP, Spain stands at 100.5%, below Greece (145.4%), Italy (136.7%), France (115.7%), and Belgium (108.1%), placing it in fifth position.
According to the Bank of Spain, debt in millions of euros has grown by 46% since 2018. When measured against GDP, the increase is 1.6 points, from 99.8% to 101%.
Regarding protected housing, Feijóo claimed that the regions with the most public promotion are those governed by the PP, and that Madrid and Seville are the municipalities that build the most in proportional terms. According to the Ministry of Housing, the final qualifications for 2025 place Madrid in first place, with 3,802, followed by Catalonia (3,517), Andalusia (2,265), Euskadi (1,184), and the Valencian Community (407).
Two of those five regions are not governed by the PP: Catalonia, led by the PSC, and Euskadi, with the PNV and PSE in charge. With updated data until June 2026, Catalonia surpasses the Community of Madrid, with 5,308 qualifications compared to 3,006.
Newtral has also reviewed Feijóo's claim that Spain has the latest youth emancipation age in the European Union, which the outlet considers misleading because three other countries have even higher emancipation ages.
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