Social protection corresponds to all the mechanisms that allow citizens to financially overcome the consequences of social risks, i.e. events that may lead to a reduction in resources or an increase in expenditure (sickness, old age, accidents, disability, unemployment, maternity, etc.).
According to statistics from the Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees), France devoted 33.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to social protection in 2021, i.e. 834 billion euros, which corresponds to approximately 12,350 euros per inhabitant. Still in relation to GDP, France is the European country that devotes the most to social protection, just ahead of Austria (31.8% in 2021), Italy (31.5%) and Germany (31. 0%).
As reported by DREES, social security spending has continued to grow in all European countries. In 2021, they increased by 3.0% on average in the European Union and by 2.4% in France. Sickness expenditure, which represents nearly 29% of the total amount of social benefits, is the main factor behind the increase in expenditure in 2021, in particular in connection with the vaccination and screening campaigns for Covid-19, as well as the resumption of medical care.
Given that more than a quarter of the French population is now aged over 60 (compared to 17% in 1980), expenditure on health, survival and pensions, which particularly benefit this age group , represent the lion’s share of social benefits: regarding 80% of the total in 2021.
