Social protection according to EU concept

In 2010, the social expenditure to GDP ratio, the level of social expenditure calculated according to the European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS) as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP), reached driven by the crisis 30.4%.

A large proportion of expenditure on social benefits in Austria is in respect of the old age function (43% or €36.3 bn) and a quarter of expenditure goes to benefits in the sickness/health care function. Significantly lower proportions of expenditure are recorded for the following functions: family/children (one tenth), disability (8%), survivors (7%), unemployment (6%), housing and social exclusion (1%). More than three quarters of social benefits are cash benefits. Social benefits in kind are dominated by health care benefits.

With respect to the financing of social benefit systems, more than one third of the total number is financed by employers’ social contributions, with another third being financed by general government revenues and more than one quarter by social contributions from protected persons.

The number of pension beneficiaries according to ESSPROS rose by 2.3% compared to the previous year to 2 395 080 in 2010.

More information and tables can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection (available in German only). Eurostat publishes social protection expenditure and receipts, qualitative information and pension beneficiaries for EU member states on its website (tables, database). The ESSPROS Manual contains detailed information on the methodology.