World Social Protection Report 2020-22
Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future
This ILO flagship report provides a global overview of recent developments in social protection systems, including social protection floors, and covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on new data, it offers a broad range of global, regional and country data on social protection coverage, benefits and public expenditures.
Following a life-cycle approach, the report analyses progress with regard to universal social protection coverage, with a particular focus on achieving the globally agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report includes access to comprehensive statistical tables containing the latest social protection data, including detailed country data on SDG indicator 1.3.1.
Regional companion reports
Key links
Figures by chapter
Chapter 1 - Social protection at the crossroads: The COVID-19 response and the road to recovery
Chapter 2 - The pre-COVID-19 situation: Some progress made, but significant gaps remain
- Figure 2.1: Development of social protection programmes anchored in national legislation by policy area, pre-1900 to 2020 (percentage of countries)
- Figure 2.2: Public social protection expenditure (excluding health), percentage of GDP, and poverty rates, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 2.3: Reduction of inequality (Gini coefficient) through social security transfers and taxes, selected countries, latest available year
- Figure 2.4: SDG indicator 1.3.1: Effective social protection coverage, global and regional estimates, by population group, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 2.5: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for protection of vulnerable persons: Percentage of vulnerable persons receiving cash benefits (social assistance), by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 2.6: Share of persons in employment who contribute to a social insurance scheme, by status and type of employment, selected countries, latest available year
- Figure 2.7: Absolute difference in individual relative poverty rates between full-time employees and workers in other types of employment, selected countries, latest available year
- Figure 2.8: Non-contributory old-age pensions as a percentage of the national poverty line, single person, selected countries, 2017 or latest available year
- Figure 2.9: Public social protection expenditure (excluding health), percentage of GDP, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 2.10: Public social protection expenditure (excluding health), percentage of GDP, 2020 or latest available year, and domestic general government health expenditure, percentage of GDP, 2018, by region, subregion and income level
- Figure 2.11: Domestic general government health expenditure, 2018 (percentage of GDP)
- Figure 2.12: Annual financing gap to be closed in order to achieve SDG targets 1.3 and 3.8, by region, subregion and income level, 2020 (percentage of GDP)
Chapter 3 - Social protection during the COVID-19 crisis and recovery
- Figure 3.1: Worldwide number of social protection measures announced in response to the COVID-19 crisis, February–December 2020
- Figure 3.2: Social protection measures announced in response to the COVID-19 crisis, February–December 2020, by type and function (percentages)
- Figure 3.3: Summary of COVID-19 policy response measures, with selected country examples
- Figure 3.4: Taking the high road towards universal social protection for a socially just future
Chapter 4 - Strengthening social protection for all throughout the life course
Social Protection for children and families
- Figure 4.1: Child and family protection (cash benefits) anchored in law, by type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.2: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for children and families: Percentage of children 0–14 years receiving child and family cash benefits, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.3: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for children and families: Percentage of children 0–14 years receiving child or family cash benefits, by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.4: Child-sensitive social protection across the life course
- Figure 4.5: At-risk-of-poverty rate before and after social transfers for children 0–17 years in the EU-27, 2010–19, in percentage of market income
- Figure 4.6: Public social protection expenditure (excluding health) on children (percentage of GDP) and percentage of children 0–14 years in total population, by region and income level, 2020 or latest available year
Social protection for women and men of working age
Maternity protection
- Figure 4.8: Maternity protection (cash benefits) anchored in law, by type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.9: Relationship between the gender gap in the share of time spent on unpaid care and women’s employment-to-population ratio, latest year
- Figure 4.10: Legal coverage for maternity protection: Percentage of women in labour force aged 15+ years covered by maternity cash benefits, by region, subregion and type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.11: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for maternity protection: Percentage of women giving birth receiving maternity cash benefits, by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.12: SDG 1.3.1 indicator on effective coverage for maternity protection: Percentage of women giving birth receiving maternity cash benefits, 2020 or latest available year
Sickness benefits
- Figure 4.13: Legal coverage for sickness protection: Percentage of labour force aged 15+ years covered by sickness cash benefits, by region, subregion, sex and type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.14: Sickness protection (cash benefits) anchored in law, by type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.15: Snapshot of cost distribution (percentages of total incurred costs) from patient cost surveys conducted under the WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme in 16 countries
Employment injury protection
- Figure 4.16: Employment injury protection (cash benefits) anchored in law, by type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.17: Legal coverage for employment injury protection: Percentage of persons in labour force aged 15+ years covered by employment injury cash benefits, by region, subregion, sex and type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.18: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for employment injury protection: Percentage of labour force aged 15+ years covered by cash benefits in case of employment injury (active contributors), 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.19: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for employment injury protection: Percentage of labour force aged 15+ years covered by cash benefits in case of employment injury (active contributors), by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.20: Replacement rates of employment injury schemes for permanent and temporary disability benefits, selected countries, 2020 or latest available year (percentage)
Disability benefits
- Figure 4.21: Disability protection (cash benefits) anchored in law, by type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.22: Legal coverage for disability protection: Percentage of working-age population aged 15+ years covered by disability cash benefits, by region, subregion, sex and type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.23: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for disability protection: Percentage of persons with severe disabilities receiving cash benefits, by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.24: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for disability protection: Percentage of persons with severe disabilities receiving cash benefits, 2020 or latest available year
Unemployment protection
- Figure 4.25: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for unemployment protection: Percentage of unemployed people receiving cash benefits and share of unemployed people 16–64 years at risk of poverty, selected European countries, 2019
- Figure 4.26: Unemployment protection: A close articulation between social protection and employment promotion
- Figure 4.27: Unemployment protection (cash benefits) anchored in law, by type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.28: Legal coverage for unemployment protection: Percentage of labour force aged 15+ years covered by unemployment cash benefits, by region, subregion, sex and type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.29: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for unemployment protection: Percentage of unemployed persons receiving cash benefits, by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.30: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for unemployment protection: Percentage of unemployed persons receiving cash benefits, 2020 or latest available year
Social protection for older women and men
- Figure 4.31: Old-age protection (pensions) anchored in law, by type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.32: Financial mechanisms for old-age pensions: Percentages of countries with pension schemes financed by defined benefits and defined contributions
- Figure 4.33: Legal coverage for old-age protection: Percentage of working-age population aged 15+ years covered by old-age pensions, by region, subregion, sex and type of scheme, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.34: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for old-age protection: Percentage of persons above statutory retirement age receiving an old-age pension and percentage of labour force aged 15+ years and working-age population aged 15+ years covered by pension scheme (active contributors), by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.35: Effective coverage for old-age protection: Percentage of labour force aged 15+ years covered by pension scheme (active contributors), 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.36: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for old-age protection: Percentage of persons above statutory retirement age receiving an old-age pension, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.37: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for old-age protection: Comparison of percentage of persons above statutory retirement age receiving an old-age pension, 2000 and 2015–20
- Figure 4.38: Public social protection expenditure (excluding health) on older population (percentage of GDP) and percentage of older persons aged 65+ years in total population, by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.39: Effective coverage for old-age protection: Percentage of working-age population aged 15+ years covered by pension scheme (active contributors), by region, subregion, income level and sex, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.40: SDG indicator 1.3.1 on effective coverage for old-age protection: Percentage of persons above statutory retirement age receiving an old-age pension, selected countries, by sex, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.41: Effective coverage for old-age protection, by sex: Percentage of labour force aged 15+ years covered by pension scheme (active contributors), selected countries, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.42: Average replacement rates at retirement in earnings-related public pension schemes, selected European countries, 2016 and projected for 2070 (percentage)
Social health protection
- Figure 4.43: Effective coverage for health protection: Percentage of the population covered by a social health scheme (protected persons), by region, subregion and income level, 2020 or latest available year
- Figure 4.44: Universal Health Coverage Index (SDG indicator 3.8.1): Average coverage of essential health services, 2017
- Figure 4.45: Unequal advances in RMNCH (reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health) service coverage
- Figure 4.46: Inequities in access to maternal healthcare services: Percentage of live births attended by skilled health personnel by wealth quintile, countries with data for 2016 or later
- Figure 4.47: Deficits in staff and infrastructure at the heart of inequalities in access to healthcare
- Figure 4.48: Incidence of catastrophic health spending (SDG indicator 3.8.2: More than 10 per cent of annual household income or consumption), latest available country data 2000–18 (percentage)
- Figure 4.49: Incidence of catastrophic health spending (more than 10 per cent of annual household income or consumption), by income level, 2000–15 (percentage)
- Figure 4.50: Impoverishment owing to OOP healthcare expenses: Shares of OOP expenditure in total health expenditure, and of population pushed below a relative poverty line (60 per cent of median income or consumption), by region, 2018 (percentage)
- Figure 4.51: Long-term care (LTC) infrastructure: Unequal investments across countries for which data are available, 2016–19
- Figure 4.52: Current health expenditure as percentage of GDP, and composition of current health expenditure, by region, 2018
- Figure 4.53: Current health expenditure per capita in US$ PPP, including domestic general government health expenditure (GGHE-D) per capita in US$ PPP, by region, 2018
Access data / Statistical annexes
- Table A.4.1: Ratification of ILO up-to-date social security Conventions (Excel ¨& Online)
- Table A.4.2: Social protection effective coverage (including SDG indicators 1.3.1 and 3.8.1), 2020 or latest available year (percentage of the relevant population group) (Excel & Online)
- Table A.4.3: Public health and social protection expenditure, 2020 or latest available year (percentage of GDP) (Excel ¨& Online)
- Table A.4.4: Social protection legal coverage, by function, 2020 or latest available year (percentage of the working-age population) (online only)
- Table A.4.5: Child and family benefits: Key features of main social security programmes (online only)
- Table A.4.6: Maternity protection: Key features of main social security programmes (online only)
- Table A.4.7: Sickness benefits: Key features of main social security programmes (online only)
- Table A.4.8: Employment injury protection: Key features of main social security programmes (online only)
- Table A.4.9: Unemployment protection: Key features of main social security programmes (online only)
- Table A.4.10: Disability benefits: Key features of main social security programmes (online only)
- Table A.4.11: Old-age pensions: Key features of main social security programmes (online only)