Social protection expenditure; functions, in kind or cash, means-test
| Periods | Total social protection expenditure (million euros) | Functions Sickness/Health care (million euros) | Functions Disability (million euros) | Functions Old age (million euros) | Functions Survivors’ (million euros) | Functions Family/children (million euros) | Functions Unemployment (million euros) | Functions Housing (million euros) | Functions Social exclusion not elsewhere classif.. (million euros) | Benefits in cash or in kind Benefits in cash (million euros) | Benefits in cash or in kind Benefits in kind (million euros) | Means-testing Means-tested (million euros) | Means-testing Non means-tested (million euros) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 86,191 | 25,387 | 10,217 | 29,118 | 4,979 | 4,314 | 6,009 | 1,188 | 4,979 | 63,380 | 22,811 | 7,468 | 78,723 |
| 2000 | 101,981 | 29,841 | 11,991 | 37,814 | 5,412 | 5,288 | 5,286 | 1,545 | 4,804 | 71,775 | 30,206 | 10,486 | 91,495 |
| 2005 | 130,444 | 41,138 | 12,542 | 49,718 | 6,570 | 6,965 | 6,456 | 1,712 | 5,343 | 88,679 | 41,765 | 12,599 | 117,845 |
| 2010 | 175,359 | 64,952 | 14,359 | 62,005 | 7,102 | 7,853 | 6,779 | 2,241 | 10,068 | 109,458 | 65,901 | 23,091 | 152,268 |
| 2015 | 189,035 | 64,254 | 17,866 | 70,216 | 6,719 | 7,613 | 8,889 | 3,104 | 10,374 | 119,178 | 69,857 | 28,348 | 160,687 |
| 2020 | 232,173 | 82,144 | 21,244 | 85,155 | 7,280 | 10,551 | 9,837 | 3,814 | 12,148 | 143,217 | 88,956 | 35,413 | 196,760 |
| 2022 | 246,535 | 92,057 | 21,725 | 92,075 | 7,412 | 11,868 | 4,638 | 3,951 | 12,809 | 148,958 | 97,577 | 37,106 | 209,429 |
| 2023 | 271,229 | 97,771 | 24,807 | 101,867 | 8,150 | 13,496 | 5,026 | 4,138 | 15,974 | 166,531 | 104,698 | 43,086 | 228,143 |
| 2024* | 294,787 | 106,657 | 26,578 | 108,928 | 8,993 | 15,862 | 7,712 | 4,877 | 15,180 | 179,815 | 114,972 | 46,384 | 248,403 |
| Source: CBS. | |||||||||||||
Table explanation
This table provides an overview of social protection expenditure in the Netherlands. Social protection encompasses all interventions from public or private bodies intended to relieve households and individuals of the burden of a defined set of risks or needs, provided that there is neither a simultaneous reciprocal nor an individual arrangement involved. This includes benefits provided by social assistance schemes, social insurance funds, pension funds, benefits directly paid by employers, and direct service provision to households. Benefits can be provided in kind or in cash, and benefits can be means-tested or non means-tested.
The defined set of risks and needs within social protection can be classified in eight functions according to the European System of Integrated Social PROtection Statistics (ESSPROS). In addition, social protection expenditure is classified as provided in cash or in kind, or provided as means-tested or non means-tested benefits. Social protection expenditure is allocated to the period in which the rights for the transaction arose (transaction basis), and not to the period in which the transaction actually took place (cash basis).
Data available from:
Yearly figures from 1995
Status of the figures:
The figures in this table are provisional at the time of first publication. Upon the second publication one year later, the figures will become definitive.
Changes as of 28 November 2025:
Provisional figures for 2024 have been published.
The figures for 1995 until 2023 have been revised in accordance with the revision policy of the National Accounts.
When will new figures be published?
New figures will be published 11 months after the respective calendar year ends. Previous provisional figures will then become final.
More information on the revision policy of National Accounts can be found under 'relevant articles' under paragraph 3.
Description topics
- Total social protection expenditure
- Social protection encompasses all interventions from public or private bodies intended to relieve households and individuals of the burden of a defined set of risks or needs, provided that there is neither a simultaneous reciprocal nor an individual arrangement involved. The social protection benefits are drawn up within the framework of ESSPROS and are established in the ESSPROS manual.
- Functions
- The functional classification of social protection expenditure classifies the benefits of social protection schemes according to their respective risks and needs (functions). A scheme can cover several functions, the expenditure is then distributed over several functions, but double counting does not occur. The sum of expenditure from all functions therefore always gives the total amounts paid out from all social protection schemes in the selected year.
- Sickness/Health care
- Income maintenance and support in cash in connection with physical or mental illness, excluding disability. Health care intended to maintain, restore or improve the health of the people protected irrespective of the origin of the disorder.
- Disability
- Income maintenance and support in cash or kind (except health care) in connection with the inability of physically or mentally disabled people to engage in economic and social activities.
- Old age
- Income maintenance and support in cash or kind (except health care) in connection with old age.
- Survivors’
- Income maintenance and support in cash or kind in connection with the death of a family member.
- Family/children
- Support in cash or kind (except health care) in connection with the costs of pregnancy, childbirth and adoption, bringing up children and caring for other family members.
- Unemployment
- Income maintenance and support in cash or kind in connection with unemployment.
- Housing
- Help towards the cost of housing, such as rent benefits.
- Social exclusion not elsewhere classif..
- Social exclusion not elsewhere classified.
Benefits in cash or kind (except health care) specifically intended to combat social exclusion where they are not covered by one of the other functions.
- Benefits in cash or in kind
- Social protection benefits can be classified as cash benefits or benefits in kind. The sum of both cash and in-kind benefits always gives the total amounts paid out from all social protection schemes in the selected year.
- Benefits in cash
- Persons entitled to benefits receive support in the form of cash that is paid out to the beneficiaries.
- Benefits in kind
- Benefits are provided directly to the beneficiary in the form of services or goods, but not in the form of money.
- Means-testing
- For some benefits, an income test can take place, whereby the entitlement to benefits depends on the individual income situation. Social protection benefits are classified for benefits for which an income test is required and for which no income test is applicable. As with the distribution by functions and distribution by money or in kind, the sum of the benefits is always the same as the total amounts paid out of all social protection schemes in the selected year because double counting does not occur.
- Means-tested
- An income test does take place when determining whether a benefit recipient is eligible for the benefit.
- Non means-tested
- There is no income test when determining whether a beneficiary is eligible for the benefit.