Student protests in France, now in their second month, have spread across Europe, fueled by rising costs of living and cuts to public services. The demonstrations began in September over overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages but have since expanded to include broader economic grievances. Similar protests have erupted in Albania, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, with young people expressing frustration over unaffordable housing, soaring costs, and failing public services.
Leaders like France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Spain’s Pedro Sanchez, and Portugal’s Luis Montenegro are facing mounting unrest. Despite their political differences, all four leaders are grappling with the fallout from soaring living costs. Al Jazeera analyzed how prices, wages, housing, and education have changed in these countries over the past 26 years, comparing conditions today to when these leaders were in their 20s.
Everyday expenses such as food, energy, transport, and bills have risen by 59% to 78% since 2000, according to Eurostat. Spain saw the steepest increase at 78%, followed by Portugal at 71%, Italy at 68%, and France at 59%. Inflation surged in 2022, driven by energy costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with annual inflation rates reaching 8.7% in Italy, 8.3% in Spain, 8.1% in Portugal, and 5.9% in France, the highest in all four countries since at least 2000.
When adjusted for inflation, average full-time wages in Italy fell by nearly 5% between 2000 and 2025, while real wages rose by 7% in Spain, 11% in France, and 20% in Portugal. Housing affordability has worsened, with Spain’s price-to-income ratio 56% higher than in 2000, France’s up by 39%, and Portugal’s rising sharply since 2015. Italy is the exception, where house prices have largely kept pace with incomes. Public spending on education has declined in France and Portugal but remained stable in Italy and Spain.