Spain’s care bed capacity must increase from approximately 384,000 to around 616,000 by 2033 to meet the needs of its ageing population.
The shortfall in provision has been underlined by Octopus Capital in a new report called Shaping the future of care in Spain. In the paper, the manager points out how Spain's care infrastructure has not kept pace with its demographics. Spain has the highest average life expectancy in the European Union at 84 years, but currently faces a shortfall of nearly 100,000 care beds, with that number widening each year. The manager says around 20 percent of people over age 80 are likely to require a care bed, yet current provision supports only 13.5 percent of this cohort.
The country’s challenge is compounded by the fact that much of the existing stock is outdated and expected to fall out of use, further tightening already constrained supply.
The report argues the slow response to care home demand is partly due to Spain’
