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Universal social protection


to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals

201719
World Social Protection Report 201719
Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Executive summary

S ocial protection, or social security, is a human


right and is defined as the set of policies and pro-
grammes designed to reduce and prevent poverty and
This ILO flagship report provides a global overview of
recent trends in social protection systems, including social
protection floors. It analyses the current state of social
1

vulnerability throughout the life cycle. Social protec- protection for children, for women and men of working
tion includes benefits for children and families, mater- age, and for older persons, following a life-cycle approach.
nity, unemployment, employment injury, sickness, old Based on new data, the report offers a broad range of
age, disability, survivors, as well as health protection. global, regional and country data on social protection
Social protection systems address all these policy areas coverage, benefits and public expenditures on socialpro-
by a mix of contributory schemes (social insurance) and tection. It presents new estimates on effective social
non-contributory tax-financed benefits, including social protection coverage for a comprehensive monitoring of
assistance. social protection systems, including floors, thereby pro-
Social protection plays a key role in achieving sus- viding the 2015 baseline for the SDG indicator1.3.1.
tainable development, promoting social justice and re-
alizing the human right to social security for all. Thus, Highlights:
social protection policies are vital elements of national Despite significant progress in the extension of social
development strategies to reduce poverty and vulner- protection in many parts of the world, the human
ability across the life cycle and support inclusive and right to social security is not yet a reality for a major-
sustainable growth by raising household incomes, fos- ity of the worlds population. Only 45per cent of the
tering productivity and human development, boosting global population are effectively covered by at least
domestic demand, facilitating structural transform- one social protection benefit, while the remaining
ation of the economy and promoting decent work. 55per centas many as 4billion peopleare left
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) unprotected (figure1).
adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in
2015 reflect the joint commitment of countries to ILO estimates also show that only 29per cent of the
implement nationally appropriate social protection global population are covered by comprehensive social
systems for all, including floors for reducing and security systems that include the full range of benefits,
preventing poverty (SDG1.3). This commitment to from child and family benefits to old-age pensions.
universalism reaffirms the global agreement on the ex- Yet the large majority71per cent, or 5.2billion
tension of social security achieved by the Social Pro- people are not, or are only partially, protected.
tection Floors Recommendation No. 202, adopted in Coverage gaps are associated with a significant
2012 by the governments and workers and employers underinvestment in social protection, particularly
organizations from all countries. in Africa, Asia and the Arab States (figure2).
World Social Protection Report 201719

Figure 1.SDGindicator 1.3.1: Effective social protection coverage, global and regional estimates
by population group (percentage)

Population covered by at least one social protection benefit 45.2


Children 34.9
Mothers with newborns 41.1
World Persons with severe disabilities 27.8
Unemployed 21.8
Older persons 67.9
Vulnerable persons covered by social assistance 24.7

Population covered by at least one social protection benefit 17.8


Children 15.9
Mothers with newborns 15.8
Africa Persons with severe disabilities Not available
Unemployed 5.6
Older persons 29.6
Vulnerable persons covered by social assistance 9.5

Population covered by at least one social protection benefit 67.6


Children 66.2
Mothers with newborns 68.6
Americas Persons with severe disabilities 72.9
Unemployed 16.7
Older persons 86.2
Vulnerable persons covered by social assistance 38.7

Population covered by at least one social protection benefit 38.9


Children Not available
Asia and Mothers with newborns 33.4
the Pacific Persons with severe disabilities 9.4
Unemployed 22.5
Older persons 55.2
2 Vulnerable persons covered by social assistance 16.4

Population covered by at least one social protection benefit 84.1


Children 87.5
Europe and Mothers with newborns 81.4
Persons with severe disabilities 86.7
Central Asia Unemployed 42.5
Older persons 95.2
Vulnerable persons covered by social assistance 66.7

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 100
%

Note: Population covered by at least one social protection benefit (effective coverage): Proportion of the total population receiving at least one
contributory or noncontributory cash benefit, or actively contributing to at least one social security scheme.
Children: Ratio of children/households receiving child/family cash benefits to the total number of children/households with children.
Mothers with newborns: Ratio of women receiving maternity cash benefits to women giving birth in the same year.
Persons with severe disabilities: Ratio of persons receiving disability cash benefits to the number of persons with severe disabilities.
Unemployed: Ratio of recipients of unemployment cash benefits to the number of unemployed persons.
Older persons: Ratio of persons above statutory retirement age receiving an old-age pension to the number of persons above statutory retirement
age (including contributory and non-contributory).
Vulnerable persons covered by social assistance: Ratio of social assistance recipients to the total number of vulnerable persons (defined as all
children plus adults not covered by contributory benefits and persons above retirement age not receiving contributory benefits (pensions)).
Sources: ILO, World Social Protection Database, based on the Social Security Inquiry (SSI); ILOSTAT; national sources.

Figure 2. Public social protection expenditure, excluding health, latest available year (percentage of GDP)

Less than 5 per cent


From 5 to less than 10 per cent
From 10 to less than 15 per cent
15 per cent and above Less than 5 per cent
No data From 5 to less than 10 per cent
From 10 to less than 15 per cent
Source: ILO, World Social Protection Database, based on SSI.15 per cent and above
No data
Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Lack of social protection leaves people vulnerable to measures to adequately address the needs of chil-
poverty, inequality and social exclusion across the dren and families, extending coverage and benefits
life cycle, thereby constituting a major obstacle to in accordance with SDG1.3.
economic and social development.
The SDGs call for universal social protection. In
particular, countries have a responsibility to guar- Social protection for women and men
antee at least a basic level of social securitya social ofworking age: maternity and disability
protection floorfor all, as part of their social pro- benefits, employment injury protection,
tection systems. While many countries have al- unemployment support
ready achieved universal protection, more efforts
are needed to extend coverage and ensure adequate Social protection plays a key role in ensuring income
benefits. security for women and men of working age, in the
form of maternity protection, unemployment support,
employment injury protection, and disability benefits.
Social protection for children These schemes contribute to smooth incomes and ag-
gregate demand, enhance human capital, and promote
Transfers for children and families, in cash or in kind, decent and productive employment. Social protection
are critical for realizing childrens rights by preventing also facilitates structural change within economies and
them from falling into poverty, preventing child mor- labour markets, and contributes to inclusive and sus-
tality, contributing to their healthy development and tainable growth. 3
well-being, improving their access to essential goods
and services, and reducing child labour. Social protec- Highlights:
tion thus ensures that children can realize their full po- Social protection coverage for persons of working
tential and enjoy an adequate standard of living. age is still limited. Despite the positive developmen-
tal impacts of supporting childbearing women, only
Highlights: 41.1per cent of mothers with newborns receive a
Only 35 per cent of children worldwide enjoy maternity benefit, while 83million new mothers
effective access to social protection, albeit with sig- remain uncovered.
nificant regional disparities. Almost two-thirds of As only 21.8per cent of unemployed workers are
children globally1.3billion childrenare not covered by unemployment benefits, 152million un-
covered, most of them living in Africa and Asia. employed workers remain without coverage.
On average, 1.1per cent of GDP is spent on child Only a minority of the global labour force have
and family benefits for children aged 014, point- effective access to employment injury protection.
ing to a significant underinvestment in children, New ILO data also show that only 27.8per cent of
which affects not only the childrens overall well-be- persons with severe disabilities worldwide receive a
ing and long-term development, but also the future disability benefit.
economic and social development of the countries
Expenditure estimates show that worldwide only
they live in.
3.2per cent of GDP is spent on public social protec-
Cash transfers for children have expanded in low- tion to ensure income security for persons of work-
and middle-income countries over the past decades, ing age, although they constitute a large proportion
with a number of countries reaching universal social of the global population.
protection coverage of children (e.g. Argentina,
Effective universal maternity coverage has been
Brazil, Chile and Mongolia). However, coverage and
achieved in Ukraine and Uruguay, and other de-
benefit levels remain insufficient in many countries.
veloping countries such as Argentina, Colombia,
A number of countries reduce social protection for Mongolia and South Africa have made significant
children in the wake of fiscal consolidation policies, progress. Additionally, Brazil, Chile and Mongo-
often narrow-targeting child benefits to the poor lia have universal disability benefit programmes in
and leaving many vulnerable children without ad- place. However, significant coverage and adequacy
equate protection. Efforts are required to step up gaps remain in many countries.
World Social Protection Report 201719

A number of countries are scaling down protection adequacy of pensions; it is necessary to maintain a
for men and women of working age as part of fiscal good balance between sustainability and adequacy
consolidation or austerity policies, narrow-targeting in the context of ageing populations.
benefits to the poor and leaving many personsun- A noticeable trend is the reversal of pension privat-
protected, at a time when social protection is most izations: privatization policies did not deliver the
needed. expected results and countries like Argentina, the
In light of the recent labour market and employ- Plurinational State of Bolivia, Hungary, Kazakh-
ment challenges, such as persistent unemployment stan and Poland are returning to public solidarity-
and underemployment, the prevalence of precar- based systems.
ious and informal employment as well as the rise of
working poverty, social protection systems, includ-
ing floors, are essential policies to ensure adequate Towards universal health coverage
income security and decent work, particularly where
they are well coordinated with employment, wage Universal health coverage, providing effective access to
and tax policies. at least essential health care including longterm care, is
key to achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG3.

Social protection for older women and men Highlights:


ILO estimates show that the right to health is not
4 Pensions for older women and men are the most wide-
yet a reality in many parts of the world, especially
spread form of social protection in the world, and a key
in rural areas where 56per cent of the population
element in SDG1.3.
lack health coverage as compared to 22per cent in
urban areas.
Highlights:
Worldwide, 68per cent of people above retirement An estimated 10million health workers are needed
age receive an oldage pension, which is associated to achieve universal health coverage and ensure
with the expansion of both non-contributory and human security, including from highly infectious
contributory pensions in many middle- and low- diseases like Ebola. The shortfall of 7 million
income countries. skilled health workers in rural areas as well as high
deficits in per capita health spending add to these
A number of countries have achieved universal pen- ruralurban inequities. Ensuring equity in access to
sion coverage, including Argentina, Belarus, the quality care and solidarity in financing is central to
Plurinational State of Bolivia, Botswana, Cabo extending health protection.
Verde, China, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Mal-
dives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Namibia, Seychelles, Long-term care (LTC) is mostly needed by older per-
South Africa, Swaziland, T imor-Leste, Trinidad sons with limited ability to care for themselves due
and Tobago, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Zanzibar to physical or mental conditions. Currently, more
(United Republic of Tanzania). Other develop- than 48per cent of the worlds population live in
ing countries, such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Brazil, countries which do not provide any LTC protection
Chile, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Uruguay are close to older persons, with women disproportionately
to universal coverage. affected. Another 46.3per cent of the older global
population are largely excluded from LTC due to
However, benefit levels are often low and not suf- narrow means-testing regulations that require older
ficient to push older persons out of poverty. The ad- persons to be poor to become eligible for LTC ser-
equacy of pension benefits remains a challenge in vices. Only 5.6per cent of the global population live
many countries. in countries that provide LTC coverage based on
Expenditures on pensions and other benefits for national legislation to the whole population.
older persons account for 6.9per cent of GDP on
Given ageing populations, LTC needs to be properly
average, with large variations across regions.
addressed by public policies. Currently, an estimated
Fiscal consolidation or austerity pressures in many global 57million unpaid voluntary workers are
countries continue to jeopardize the longterm filling in the LTC workforce gap and carry out the
Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

bulk of this work; many of them are women who social protection floors and enhance the adequacy
have to provide informal care for family members. of benefits.
Care services can generatemillions of jobs to ad- In the Arab States, the lack of data allows only a
dress the shortage of skilled care workers, estimated partial assessment of effective social protection cov-
at 13.6million globally. Efforts are needed to im- erage. Coverage for old-age pensions is limited, esti-
prove working conditions for many health and care mated at 27.4per cent, and is expected to persist due
workers, including labour rights and adequate com- to the low share (32.9per cent) of active contribu-
pensation, to transform unpaid work into decent tors in the total labour force. Positive achievements
jobs and contribute to full employment and inclu- in the region include the introduction of a social
sive growth. insurance scheme for private sector workers in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, the establishment
of unemployment insurance schemes in Bahrain,
Monitoring progress in social protection: Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and enhanced coverage
Regional trends for maternity protection in Jordan and Iraq. Ex-
tending social protection floors to vulnerable groups
Observed trends in social protection coverage (SDGin- remains central in the region, especially in light of
dicator 1.3.1) vary substantially across regions and even large social needs and high informal employment in
between countries within the same region. some countries.
In Africa, despite significant progress in the exten- In the Asia and Pacific region, only 38.9per cent
sion of social protection coverage, only 17.8per cent
5
of the population are effectively covered by at least
of the population receive at least one social protec- one social protection cash benefit, although signifi-
tion cash benefit, with significant variation across cant progress has been made in strengthening social
countries. Owing to greater efforts towards extend- protection systems and building social protection
ing old-age protection, 29.6 per cent of Africas floors. Large coverage gaps remain in the areas of
older population now receive a pension. Countries child and family benefits, maternity protection, un-
such as Botswana, Cabo Verde, Lesotho, Mauritius employment protection and disability benefits. It
and Namibia have reached, or approached, univer- is however worth noting that some countries have
sal pension coverage. However, significant cover- achieved universal coverage of children (Australia,
age gaps remain with respect to children, mothers Mongolia); others have extended maternity pro-
with newborns, unemployed workers, persons with tection coverage (Bangladesh, India, Mongolia), or
disabilities as well as vulnerable populations. The introduced non-contributory pension schemes to
development of social protection floors is therefore achieve universal coverage for older persons (China,
an urgent priority in Africa. Mongolia, New Zealand, TimorLeste); yet ad-
In the Americas, 67.6per cent of the population equacy of benefits remains a concern.
are effectively covered by at least one social pro- In Europe and Central Asia, given relatively com-
tection cash benefit, primarily as a result of the prehensive and mature social protection systems,
extension of social protection systems over recent including floors, 84.1per cent of the regions popu-
decades. More than two-thirds of children, preg- lation have access to at least one cash social protec-
nant women and mothers of newborns, as well as tion benefit. Regional coverage estimates exceed
older persons, are covered by social protection cash 80per cent for child and family benefits, mater-
benefits, yet larger gaps exist for disability and un- nity cash benefits, disability benefits and oldage
employment benefits. Some countries have success- pensions, with several countries reaching univer-
fully achieved universal or nearuniversal coverage sal coverage. However, there are concerns regarding
of children (Argentina, Brazil, Chile), mothers persistent coverage gaps in the areas of maternity
with newborns (Canada, Uruguay), persons with and unemployment protection, as well as regarding
disabilities (Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, United States) the adequacy of pensions and other social protec-
and older persons (Argentina, Plurinational State tion benefits in the light of demographic change and
of Bolivia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, United short-term austerity fiscal pressures.
States). However, countries in the region need to
intensify efforts to close coverage gaps, reinforce
World Social Protection Report 201719

Global trends and outlook Building inclusive social protection systems also re-
quires the adaptation of social protection systems to
Looking ahead to 2030, world governments have agreed demographic change, the evolving world of work,
to make significant progress towards implementing migration, fragile contexts and environmental
nationally appropriate social protection systems for all, challenges.
including floors, as part of the SDGagenda.
Short-term austerity or fiscal consolidation reforms
With nearly half of the world population covered are undermining long-term development efforts.
by at least one social protection benefit in 2015 Reforms often have a fiscal objective to achieve cost
(SDG1.3 baseline), many countries have come a savings, ignoring negative social impacts with regard
long way in strengthening their social protection to coverage and benefit adequacy and thus jeopard-
systems, including social protection floors to guar- izing advances towards achieving the SDGs. Further
antee at least a basic level of social security to all. efforts are needed to prevent fiscal consolidation
However, more efforts are necessary to ensure that policies from destabilizing the important progress
the right to social security becomes a reality for all. achieved.
The aggregate level of public expenditure on social Fiscal space exists even in the poorest countries.
protection needs to be increased to extend social There is a wide variety of options to generate re-
protection coverage, particularly in African, Asian sources for social protection. It is imperative that
and Arab States countries with marked under- countries become proactive in exploring all possible
6 investment in social protection. financing alternatives to promote the SDGs and na-
tional development through decent jobs and social
While extending coverage is a primary objective, at-
protection.
tention needs to be paid to benefit adequacy, as the
levels of social protection benefits are often insuffi- Universal social protection is supported through
cient to bring people out of poverty and insecurity. the joint efforts of the United Nations agencies
working as one, by the concerted joint efforts with
The extension of social protection coverage to those
relevant international, regional, subregional and na-
in the informal economy and facilitating their tran-
tional institutions and social partners, including
sition to the formal economy are key to promot-
through the Global Partnership for Universal Social
ing decent work and preventing poverty. Coverage
Protection.
extension can be achieved in multiple ways, the
most common being a mix of contributory and
non-contributory schemes.

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