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Friday, 29.03.2024, 02:42
Social protection in the EU and the Baltic States
The EU average figures continued to mask major disparities among
the EU states: in 2016, social protection expenditure represented at least 34%
of GDP in France, 34% in both Finland and Denmark as well as in Austria,
Belgium, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands (all 30%).
In contrast, social protection expenditure stood below 20%
of GDP in Romania, Latvia and Lithuania (all 15%), Ireland (16%), Estonia and
Malta (both 17%), Bulgaria and Slovakia (both 18%) as well as Czech Republic,
Cyprus and Hungary (all 19%).
Social protection expenditure per capita
In 2016, social protection expenditure per capita in PPS
(Purchasing Power Standards), which eliminates price level differences between
countries, showed large differences among the EU states. After Luxembourg, the
highest expenditure per capita was recorded in Austria, Germany, Denmark, the
Netherlands and France (all around 11 thousand PPS).
In contrast, the lowest expenditure per capita was
registered in Romania, Bulgaria and Latvia (under 3 thousand PPS).
Table: Social
protection expenditures in the Baltic States during 2011-2016
Expenditure, % of
GDP/ per capita*)
Benefits
by function, %
2011 2015
2016 Family/children Unemploym. Sickness
Old age Housing
Estonia 15.6 16.1 16.6 /
3.8 13.0 2.9 41.3 41.8 1.1
Latvia 15.3 14.9 15.2
/2.9 11.1 4.7 34.1
49.0 1.2
Lithuania 17.0 15.6 15.4/3.6 7.8 3.3 40.8 45.9 2.3
*) per capita in thousand of PPS
Social benefits by function
On average in the EU, old age & survivors benefits accounted for nearly 46% of total social benefits in 2016 and made up the major part of social protection benefits in nearly all EU states. The share of old age and survivors benefits in the total was highest in Greece (65%), Portugal and Italy (both 58%), Cyprus and Poland (both 56%), while it was lowest in Ireland (34%), Germany (39%), Luxembourg (40%), Estonia and the United Kingdom (both 42%).
Sickness/health care and
disability benefits accounted for 37% of total social benefits on average
in the EU in 2016. Among the EU states, the share of these benefits ranged from
23% in Cyprus and 26% in Greece to over 40% in Croatia (44%), Ireland and
Germany (both 43%), the Netherlands (42%) as well as Slovakia, Estonia and
Lithuania (all 41%).
Family and children
benefits accounted for slightly less than 9% of total social benefits on
average in the EU in 2016. The share of family benefits in the total ranged
from 4% in Greece and in the Netherlands to over 15% in Luxembourg.
Unemployment benefits
have been at the level of 5% and housing and social exclusion benefits for 4%
of the total SPEs. Unemployment benefits varied between less than 1% in both
Romania and Poland to 10% in Ireland.
Housing and social
exclusion benefits ranged from less than 1% in Poland, Greece and Portugal
to 8% in Cyprus and 7% in both Denmark and the United Kingdom.
Source: Eurostat statistics
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