Venezuelans top social security contributions in Spain despite xenophobic backlash

Data from Spain's National Statistics Institute rank Venezuelans as the group contributing most to social security. That hasn't stopped generalisations from circulating about eight million people who were forced to leave their country.

There is one figure that debunks plenty of bar-room talk. The **National Statistics Institute** published social security contribution figures by nationality, and **Venezuelans** come out as the group contributing the most. It's not an opinion: it's a statistic.

## What the data says and what people do with it

The statistic gets little circulation. What circulates is the opposite: individual cases turned into a portrait of an entire community. Ten incivil do not represent **eight million** Venezuelans who were forced out of their country by the situation. Generalisation is convenient and requires no data.

## The contradiction of those who demand papers while cutting taxes

There is a paradox that keeps repeating itself. Those who most demand respect for the law and democratic principles are usually the ones who pay least attention to the statistics on who sustains the system. Paying contributions is complying. Working is contributing. And the numbers say what they say.

## Flags, narratives and who pays for the party

At demonstrations, Venezuelan, Colombian and Ecuadorian flags appear alongside Hispanist speeches. The flag bothers some people, but the payroll and the contributions don't. The welfare state is funded by contributions, and there the data makes no distinction between narratives.

Contribution figures by nationality are public and can be consulted at the INE. Any claim about who works and who doesn't should start there, not with an isolated case.