Press Release 30/01/2015
Total expenditure on social protection in the Basque country increased by 1.9% in 2013
In 2013 the total expenditure per inhabitant stood at 7,658 euros, up 2.1% on the previous year
The total volume of resources dedicated to social protection in the Basque Country in 2013 was 16 billion 663.4 million euros, 1.9% more than in 2012, according to data prepared by EUSTAT and following the European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics (SEEPROS). This figure amounted to 25.22% of GDP in 2013, an increase of 5.4 percentage points with respect to 2008.
Expenditure on social protection has continued to rise over the available series of years and the total expenditure per inhabitant went from 6,402 euros in 2008 to 7,658 euros in 2013, nearly 20% more.
Excluding administration costs, the value of social provisions stood at 16 billion 375.3 million euros in 2013, which was an increase of 2.0%.
An analysis of the expenditure on benefits by functions shows that spending on benefits that correspond to the function Old Age, which includes pensions and care allowances for housing and home assistance, has the greatest weight - 6 billion 738 million euros in 2013 - and grew by 3.7% in 2011 and 2012 and by 4.3% in 2013.
Expenditure on the Illness/Healthcare function, with the second largest level of expenditure - 4 billion 103 million euros in 2013 - posted a downturn of 5.0% in 2012, that was more moderate in 2013 (-1.1%). Specifically, in 2012, the last year for which definitive data are available, the reduction was due to the fall in cash benefits for temporary disability, which were down 18.3% and in pharmaceutical benefits which fell by 7.6%.
Unemployment expenditure, which includes unemployment benefits and spending on development and training for employment, followed a more irregular trend. The greatest growth was in 2009, at 59.3%; in 2010 it grew by 3.4%, while in 2011 there was even a negative evolution (-4.1%) in absolute terms; in 2012 there was an upturn with a rate of 10.0%, and the growth of expenditure in this function was also positive in 2013, although more moderate (4.4%).
Most expenditure on social benefits was devoted to two functions: Old Age, which in 2012, with definitive data already available, reached 6 billion 458.5 million euros, 40.2% of total benefits; and Illness/Healthcare at 4 billion 150.8 million euros in 2012, 25.9% of the total. Together they made up 66.1% of expenditure.
The next most important function was Unemployment, which amounted to 11.1% of expenditure. Expenditure on benefits corresponding to Housing and Social Exclusion reached 558.6 million, amounting to 3.5% of total benefits.
With regard to the institutional units that implement the expenditure on social protection, in 2012 the Social Security System and State Administration spent 60.6% of the total and grew by 3.1% with respect to 2011 due to expenditure on pensions and benefits implemented by the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), which grew by 2.9%.
Expenditure by the Basque Administrations accounted for 31.7%, reaching 5 billion 175.5 million euros in 2012, 1.2% less than in 2011. Within the group Basque Administrations there is the public system of social benefits created by the Basque Government, which includes Lanbide, Regional Councils and Local Administrations, which increased their expenditure by 1.3%, going from 1 billion 784.8 million in 2011 to 1 billion 807.3 million in 2012. On the other hand, expenditure in the public health system, included within Basque Administrations, fell by 2.4%, going from 3 billion 428.5 million in 2011 to 3 billion 344.9 million in 2012.
An analysis of the main indicators, using the most recent data published by Eustat, specifically of the indicator expenditure per inhabitant, shows that in 2012 expenditure on social protection per inhabitant in the Basque Country, measured in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) was 7,940, which was above the EU-27 average, as it has been since 2009, and well above the Spanish average which reached the figure of 6,027.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel: 945 01 75 62
Further press releases on the Social Protection Account of the Basque Country
Social Protection Account of the Basque Country Databank
Methodological note on the Social Protection Account