Cash benefits provided to individuals whose ability to work is fully or partially impeded because of a mental or physical disability are reported within the Disability function. In addition, funding towards any rehabilitation, care or other services available to persons suffering from disabilities are also included. However, as the main scope is to treat illness, any form of medical care to disabled people is instead recorded under the Sickness/Health Care function.
Salient Points
Overview: 2024
4.2 per cent of the total social outlay is spent on disability-type benefits, amounting to €128.3 million.
A 7.3 per cent rise from 2023, with the largest increases reported under Social Security Non-Contributory Benefits (€4.3 million) and Care of the Elderly and the Disabled (€3.7 million).
Social Security Benefits: 2024
Total expenditure towards disability benefits reached €67.7 million, €3.5 million higher than the €64.2 million reported in 2023.
Non-Contributory benefits constituted 73.3 per cent of the overall spending.
Increasing trend in disability recipients between 2020 (9,745) and 2024 (11,231).
Women represented 57.2 per cent of the total recipients.
The Southern Harbour district registered the highest share of disability beneficiaries-to-population at 2.7 per cent that was 0.8 percentage points higher than the national ratio (1.9 per cent).
Locality wise, beneficiaries varied between 39 recipients per 1,000 population in Santa Luċija and 7 recipients per 1,000 population in Tas-Sliema.
Care of the Elderly and the Disabled: 2024
€34.4 million allocated towards care services to individuals diagnosed with a disability.
More than half of the spending allocated to Adult Training Centres.
Other schemes: 2024
Nine recipients under the Personal Injuries Scheme, provided as compensation to casualties of World War II.
Funding for non-profit services targeting disabled people rose by €1.3 million, reaching €25.5 million by the end of the year.
Tables
Maps
Methodological Notes
Social Security Benefits
1. Expenditure towards social security benefits is collected through the Treasury’s Corporate Financial Management Solution (CFMS).
2. Beneficiaries’ data is obtained from the Department of Social Security’s (DSS) Unique Beneficiaries Report.
3. As beneficiaries may be in receipt of multiple benefits simultaneously, aggregates may not necessarily be equivalent to the sum of the corresponding benefits as these recipients will only be counted once.
4. Persons in receipt of Pensions in respect of invalidity are also eligible to receive the special weekly bonus of €4.66 per week and the statutory bonus of €135.10 payable every six months. As bonus payments are solely provided as aggregates, the proportion allocated to claimants of these benefits is based on their corresponding outlay:
Similarly, these bonus payments are payable to individuals obtaining a form of non-contributory Disability Pensions/Allowance. The share attributed to these benefits is computed through the following equation:
5. Further to the bonuses listed in point 4, any person in receipt of a contributory pension is also eligible to receive the COLA (2024 weekly rate: €12.81). For each reference year, the total COLA is provided and then apportioned between each type of pension by using the following equation:
Similarly, recipients of non-contributory pensions are also eligible to receive COLA. For each reference year, the total COLA paid is provided by the DSS and is then apportioned between each type of pension by using the following equation:
APPOĠĠ
6. Financial statements documented by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) are used to collect annual expenses for Aġenzija Appoġġ.
7. Due to different target groups, social services provided by Appoġġ are split between multiple functions (Sickness, Disability, Family/Children and Social Exclusion n.e.c.). As outlay is only available as an aggregate, a pre-established ratio calculated from previous years is applied to allocate the total expenditure among the respective functions.
Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households
8. Accommodation for disabled persons who cannot stay with their families, and therapeutic services to children and adults with learning or physical disabilities, are some of the non-profit services reported within the Disability function.
