Turkey spent $92 bln on social protection in 2018

ISTANBUL

Turkey spent 442.6 billion Turkish Liras (about $92 billion) on social protection in 2018, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Dec. 12.

“Payments for social protection benefits constituted 98.5 percent of the overall expenditure on social protection,” with 435.9 billion liras ($90.4 billion), TÜİK said in a statement on its website.

“The largest expenditure on social protection benefits was the old age function with 214.1 billion liras [$44.4 billion], followed by those related to the sickness/health care function with 121.4 liras [$21.1 billion],” it added.

Expenditure on social protection accounted for 11.9 percent of gross domestic products (GDP) in 2018. Expenditure on social protection benefits was recorded as 11.7 percent of the GDP.

When the expenditures on risks or needs were considered, the expenditure on old age function was the largest with 5.7 percent of GDP followed by those related to the sickness/health care function with 3.3 percent of the GDP and survivors’ function with 1.4 percent of the GDP.

The number of pension beneficiaries (old age, survivors and disability pension) was 13.2 million in 2018 with an annual increase of 3.8 percent.

Cash benefits represented 67.3 percent of the total social protection benefits.

Government contributions accounted for 35.4 percent of social protection receipts. Social contributions by employers represented 30.3 percent and protected people social contributions constituted 26.9 percent of social protection receipts.