Home » Social Protection » Government Expenditure on Social Security Benefits: January-September 2023
Social Security Benefits Expenditure
Between January and September 2023, spending on Social Security Benefits totalled €980.4 million, an 8.7 per cent rise from the previous year. Higher expenditure was reported for both Contributory (€54.2 million) and Non-Contributory Benefits (€24.7 million) (Table 1).
Government spending towards Contributory Benefits amounted to €791.2 million, a 7.4 per cent rise from 2022. Pensions in respect of Retirement recorded the largest increase of €32.2 million, mainly as a result of 1,501 more persons in receipt of the Two-Thirds Pension. Further increases were registered under Contributory Bonus (€12.4 million) and Pensions in respect of Widowhood (€9.5 million) (Table 2).
By the end of September 2023, €189.2 million went towards Non-Contributory Benefits, a 15.0 per cent increase in comparison to the previous year. All benefit categories registered increases, with the main ones recorded under Total In-Work Benefit (€6.1 million), Total Supplementary Allowance (€5.3 million) and Child Allowance (€3.5 million) (Table 3).
In comparison to 2022, an additional €26.4 million was spent on Social Security Benefits between July and September 2023, with total expenditure reaching €299.8 million. Contributory expenditure rose by €19.3 million, with the largest increase registered under Pensions in respect of Retirement (€12.2 million). Furthermore, spending towards Non-Contributory Benefits increased by €7.1 million, with the largest growths recorded under Total Supplementary Allowance (€2.4 million) and Total In-Work Benefit (€1.7 million) (Tables 4 and 5).
Social Security Beneficiaries
During the first nine months of 2023, the largest number of Contributory beneficiaries was recorded under the Two-Thirds Pension (58,820). The same benefit reported the highest increase among recipients, with 1,501 additional pensioners when compared to 2022. On the other hand, the biggest drop in recipients was registered under Sickness Benefit (4,661) (Table 2).
Children’s Allowance reported the highest number of Non-Contributory recipients, with 44,016 families in receipt of the benefit. In-Work Benefit recorded the largest increase in beneficiaries at 16,358, while the largest decline in recipients was witnessed under Supplementary Allowance (466) (Table 3).
In the third quarter of 2022, the Two-Thirds Pension (57,378) and Children’s Allowance (42,186) were the most received Contributory and Non-Contributory Benefits, respectively (Tables 4 and 5).
January-September in € million
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January-September 2023
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January-September 2023
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