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Date Published: 10/07/2026

Spain's sick leave bill has tripled in a decade and now costs an estimated €33 billion a year

The number of episodes has risen 84% since 2017, mental health cases are the fastest growing category, and the debate about what is driving it has become deeply political

Spain's sick leave problem has landed firmly in the political spotlight. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo recently described absenteeism as "a cancer" costing "more than 30 billion euros," pledging to act on it if he becomes prime minister. The figure is not far off.

According to a comprehensive study by the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF), spending on temporary disability benefits reached €16.5 billion in 2024, three times higher than a decade earlier, and now the second largest item in the Social Security budget after contributory pensions. Add in the costs borne directly by employers, and the total estimate reaches around €33 billion.

The scale of the increase is striking. Between 2017 and 2024, the number of sick leave episodes rose by 84%, from 4.7 million to 8.6 million claims annually. Even accounting for more people being in work, the incidence rate, measured per 1,000 workers, rose by 60%. Absences are also lasting longer, up from an average of 40 days in 2017 to 45.9 days in 2024. Absences lasting more than a year have tripled in that period.

The regional picture has been particularly acute in Murcia, where worker absences were already draining an estimated €2.6 million a day from businesses, equivalent to nearly 1% of regional GDP.

The fastest-growing category nationally is mental health. Incidence of mental health disorders has risen by 83% and these cases last the longest, averaging almost 100 days. Musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions have the highest overall incidence, but it is infectious and mental health conditions that are accelerating most sharply.

The profile of who takes most sick leave is also telling. AIReF identifies workers at large companies, women, those under 40, those on permanent contracts and salaried employees as the groups most likely to take leave. More than half of all 2024 claims were concentrated among just 25% of workers, suggesting a core group dealing with chronic conditions.

The causes are contested. Unions point to an overburdened health system and an ageing workforce. Employers' associations want Social Security to absorb the full cost rather than companies covering days four to fifteen. AIReF identifies several contributing factors: limited monitoring of a benefit that sits awkwardly between regional health services and national social security; salary top-up agreements that bring sick pay to 100% of wages; and a strong economy that supports more workers being in the system.

What makes the overall picture more complex is that the official figures tell only part of the story. A separate survey found that 65% of remote workers in Spain carry on working through illness without taking any leave at all, meaning the true scale of illness in the workforce is considerably higher than the numbers suggest.

The debate is unlikely to quieten down. With a major reform of dependency and disability law moving through Congress, and €6.2 billion in new funding heading into the care system over the next two years, the pressure on both employers and the state to find a more sustainable model is only growing.

Image: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

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