site.btaBulgaria Allocates BGN 34.867 Bln for Social Benefits in 2023

In 2023, Bulgaria allocated BGN 34.867 billion for social benefits, the National Statistical Institute said on its website on Friday. NSI data show that in 2022, the allocated funds amounted to BGN 30.392 billion.

In 2023, BGN 17.973 billion from the state budget was spent on social protection in the country, while revenues from social security contributions amounted to BGN 28,474.3 million.

In 2023, the social protection benefits paid, broken down by function, were: illness/health care (BGN 9.230 billion); disability (BGN 3.659 billion); old age (BGN 15.572 billion); heirs (BGN 2.054 billion); family/children (BGN 3.251 billion); unemployment (BGN 642.3 million); housing needs (BGN 0.62 million); social exclusion, not classified elsewhere (BGN 457.3 million).

The highest relative share in social protection benefits in 2023 is occupied by expenditures under the function Old age (44.7% with the main component “pension expenditures,” followed by expenditures under the Sickness/Health Care function (26.5%) and Disability (10.5%).

A check with the NSI shows that in 2022 the distribution was similar, but with different percentages, 44.9%, 27.3% and 9.3% respectively.