Rapid recovery of activity helped the regional economy rebound within a year after the pandemic. Most of the GDP loss from 2020, caused by restrictions to curb the coronavirus, was recouped. Yet this robust growth did not translate into a strong rise in sales. The vast gap between Alicante and the national average remains evident.
According to the latest data from Spanish Regional Accounting, published by INE, the country will finish 2021 with a per capita income of 19,705 euros. This marked a 9.1% increase from the previous year, but it stayed 1.1% below the level seen in 2019. The improvement does not shift Alicante’s lag in the national ranking by much.
In this context, the province’s per capita wealth reached 25,801 euros in 2021, up 9.2% that year, and stood 23.6% below the national average. In other words, each resident of Alicante earned on average 6,096 euros less than the national average.
Salaries for Alicante residents rank third lowest in the entire country
In this regard, an analysis by Ineca’s director, Francisco Llopis, places Alicante at 43rd out of 52 Spanish provinces. That makes it the ninth lowest in the country. “GDP per capita has recovered well, yet Alicante remains at the bottom of the ranking, indicating that efforts to boost improvement have not been sufficient,” Llopis notes.
Further comments from Nacho Amirola and his organization warn that productivity gains must accompany growth. He argues that strengthening the provincial economy involves encouraging business expansion to enhance competitiveness and modernizing traditional sectors while attracting new activities.
At the start of the century, Alicante held an intermediate position, ranking around 26th or 27th. The burst of the real estate bubble pushed it down, landing at 44th in 2011. The pandemic offered a modest recovery, lifting GDP per capita briefly, but the 2020 figure fell again in 2021, leaving the province near its previous position.
Today, Alicante sits close to the lower end of the spectrum, with Malaga province at 18,044 euros per capita as the benchmark for the region. Álava, in contrast, reported 38,829 euros per capita in 2021, more than twice Alicante’s level.
In addition, the province often trails the regional average. In 2021, Alicante’s per capita income was reported at 22,619 euros, while Castellón reached 27,452 euros and Valencia 23,647 euros, according to INE statistics.
Among the wealthier communities that year were Madrid with 35,380 euros per capita, Guipúzcoa at 32,971, Vizcaya with 30,848, and Barcelona at 30,481. On the opposite end, Malaga registered 18,044 euros; Cádiz 18,114; Granada 18,531; Toledo 18,641; Jaén 18,791; Melilla 18,817; Córdoba 18,838; Badajoz 19,012; and Las Palmas 19,506.
In absolute terms, Alicante’s GDP reached 37,279 million euros in 2021, accounting for around 3% of the Spanish economy.
2022 data
INE also released 2022 figures by autonomous community. That year, per capita income rose across the Valencian Community by 8.2% (one point below the national rate), reaching 24,473 euros. This figure remained 3,689 euros below the national average of 28,162 euros. The wealthiest region that year was Madrid with 38,435 euros per person, while Melilla ranked as the poorest autonomous area with 20,698 euros.