Brussels: Europe and the Arab World

Total spending on social protection benefits in the European Union last year reached €4.925 billion, according to preliminary estimates, an increase of 6.9% compared to 2023.

Data indicates that spending on social protection benefits represented 27.3% of the EU's GDP, an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous year. According to data from Eurostat, the European statistical office in Brussels, the highest levels of social protection benefit spending as a percentage of GDP were recorded in Finland (32.5% of GDP), France (31.9%), and Austria (31.8%), while the lowest levels were recorded in Ireland (12.4%), Malta (13.4%), and Hungary (16.6%).

Among EU member states, the highest levels of spending on social protection benefits as a percentage of GDP were recorded in Finland (32.5%), France (31.9%), and Austria (31.8%), while the lowest levels were recorded in Ireland (12.4%), Malta (13.4%), and Hungary (16.6%). Among social protection benefits, old-age benefits (€2,044 billion, 41.5% of the total) and health/sickness benefits (€1,463 billion, 29.7%) accounted for the largest expenditures. Other categories included disability, survivors, family/children, unemployment, housing, and social exclusion not classified elsewhere.

In 2024, social protection benefit expenditures increased in all EU countries. The largest increases compared to 2023 were recorded in Estonia (+19.5%), Croatia (+17.8%), and Romania (+17.5%), while the smallest increases were recorded in Greece (+3.2%), Sweden (+3.9%), Italy, and Denmark (+4.3% each).