site.btaBulgaria Records Largest Social Protection Expenditure in EU in 2022

Total expenditure on social protection benefits in the EU reached EUR 4,307 billion in 2022, which is an increase of 3%, year-on-year, Eurostat early estimates, published on Tuesday, show.

The largest increases between 2021 and 2022 (measured in national currencies) were recorded in Bulgaria (+28% compared with 2021), Cyprus (+18%) and Hungary (+10%), while the smallest increases were registered in Austria (+1%), and France, Denmark, Slovakia, Finland and Germany (all with +2%).

In 2022, social protection benefits expenditure increased in almost all EU countries for which 2022 estimates are published. The exceptions were Malta, where it decreased by 5% and Ireland, where there was no change compared with 2021.

While social protection expenditure in national currencies rose in most EU countries, when analyzing expenditure as a percentage of the GDP, Eurostat data shows a decrease in 2022.

In 2022, social protection benefits expenditure represented 27.2% of the EU’s GDP, a 1.5 percentage points drop, year-on-year. Between 2021 and 2022, social protection benefits expenditure, as a percentage of GDP, decreased in all EU countries (with available early estimates), except for Cyprus, Bulgaria and Luxembourg.