Government; social benefits

This table contains information on social benefits provided by general government. The terms and definitions used for the totals are in accordance with the framework of National Accounts. National Accounts are based on the international definitions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). Small temporary differences with publications of the National Accounts may occur due to the fact that government finance statistics are sometimes more up to date. The terms used for the individual social benefits are based on national legislation. Social benefits by employers in the context of other employment related social insurance schemes are not included in this table.

Data available from:
Yearly figures from 1995.

Status of the figures:
The figures for the period 1995-2020 are final. The figures for 2021 are provisional.

Changes as of 30 November 2022:
Figures for year 2021 are available.
The annual figures for 2020 have been adjusted.
The figures for year 2020 are final.

In comparison to the previous version of this table, the following changes have been made:
- The names and descriptions of the social benefits have been updated.
- A new social benefit was introduced in 2021, related to Coronavirus testing.
- The social benefits pertaining to student grants (“scholarships” previously) and the student travel product (“public transport card for students” previously) have been combined into a single category, called “Student finance”.
- An error has been rectified in relation to the social benefits paid out by the Supplementary Fund (“Supplementary benefits act” previously) for the period of 2010-2016. The Income Assistance for Older Unemployed Persons (IOW) paid out by this fund was incorrectly included in the category for “Other social assistance benefits”. As of this publication, the IOW benefits are recorded as part of the Supplementary Fund (Tf) for the entire time series.

When will new figures be published?
Yearly figures are published six months after the end of the year concerned.
These yearly figures are revised eighteen months after the end of the year concerned. Please note that there is a possibility that adjustments might take place at the end of March or September, in order to provide the European Commission with the most actual figures.
More information on the revision policy of National Accounts can be found under 'relevant articles' under paragraph 3.