In 2008 gross expenditure on social protection in EU 27 accounted for 26.4 % of GDP - Issue number 17/2011


This "Statistics in Focus" describes and analyses the expenditure and the receipts of Social Protection in different European countries. In 2008, social protection expenditure accounted for 26.4% of GDP in EU 27. This average masks high disparities between countries. Expenditure on old-age and survivors' benefits account for a large part of social benefits in most countries. Different countries have markedly different systems for financing social protection.