The Roma population in Spain is settled since the century XV and it is at around 650.000 people. The region with the biggest percentage of Roma is Andalusia, followed by Catalonia and Madrid. In general, the Roma community is known by their great number of young people in comparison with the mainstream inhabitants: 45% is less than 16 years of age.

Little scientific information about epidemiology and the Roma community exists. Therefore, it is difficult to know illness incidence in this collective. However, taken into account the main indicators to follow-up inequalities in health, the Roma community has deficiencies in this regard due to the lack of opportunities to access and use but not due to genetic factors.

Inequalities are not only rooted in socioeconomic variables but also in access to health-care services and the effective use made of such services affected by poor adaptation of the latter or even discrimination. In this connection, if we bear in mind that a high percentage of the Roma population is in a situation of social exclusion or vulnerability, it should come as no surprise that the percentage of the Roma population affected by the lack of equality in health is also very relevant.

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