Social protection beneficiaries soar to cover 18 pct of population

ANKARA

The number of individuals benefiting from social protection programs reached 15.63 million last year, constituting 18 percent of the total population, a recent report released by Türkiye's statistical authority has revealed.

The report encompasses various categories of social protection benefits, including assistance for risk and need groups, sickness and health care, disabled, pensioners and the elderly, widows and orphans, families and children, unemployment, housing and assistance for social exclusion.

The Turkish Statistical Institute's (TÜİK) data indicates a notable increase in social protection expenditures, which rose by 59.6 percent year-on-year, reaching 1.25 trillion Turkish Liras ($42.87 billion). This figure includes 1.23 trillion liras ($42.19 billion) in aid, along with administration costs and other associated expenses.

A breakdown of the expenditures reveals that the largest share, amounting to 565.8 billion liras ($19.4 billion), was allocated to pensioners and the elderly. Following closely, illness and health care benefits received 387.2 billion liras ($13.2 billion).

Notably, social protection expenditures constituted 8.4 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). When examining the data by risk and need groups, expenditures on pensioners and the elderly claimed the largest share in the total GDP at 3.8 percent.

Conditional assistance accounted for 10.7 percent of social protection benefits, with family and children aids making up nearly half of these conditional aids, standing at 49.9 percent. Disability benefits followed with 23.1 percent, and sickness and health care benefits at 9.9 percent.

A significant portion of social protection benefits, totaling 63.5 percent, was distributed in cash. Among these, pensioners and the elderly received the biggest share, with 71.7 percent. Widow and orphan benefits accounted for 18.7 percent, and family and child benefits comprised 3.9 percent.

The financing of social protection expenditures saw the government contributing 41.8 percent. Employers' social contributions also constituted 29.0 percent, while social contributions made by individuals covered by protection accounted for 23.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the report highlights a modest increase in the number of pension beneficiaries, including the elderly, widows, orphans and disabled under social protection. The figure rose from 14.62 million in the previous year to 14.85 million.