The monthly payment to the dead totalled €25.3m. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s (OECD) 2011 statistics show that Spain spent over 10.5% of GDP on pensions, well over the 7.9% OECD average. Reports of these nature are particularly unwelcome now. Spain is in the midst of austerity measures, and faces EU sanctions over its uncontrolled deficit.