Greece Among Lowest in EU Family Benefits Expenditure in 2021

In 2021, Greece ranked among the lowest in the European Union for per capita expenditure on family benefits, according to recent data from Eurostat. Greek spending on family benefits amounted to just €243 per person, placing it above only Bulgaria (€161) and nearly equal to Romania (€244).

This expenditure is significantly lower than the EU average, which stood at €777 per person in 2021, reflecting an upward trend from €561 per person in 2011. Overall, the EU spent €347 billion on family benefits in 2021, a 41% increase from €247 billion in 2011.

The countries with the highest per capita spending on family benefits in 2021 were Luxembourg (€3,611), Denmark (€1,858), and Germany (€1,575).

Family benefits accounted for 8.3% of the EU’s total social protection spending in 2021. In Greece, however, the share of total social benefits dedicated to family benefits remains low. In contrast, Poland had the highest share of expenditure on family benefits at 15%, followed by Luxembourg at 14.8% and Estonia at 12.8%. The countries with the lowest shares were Italy (4.1%), the Netherlands (4.6%), and Cyprus (4.7%).

These figures highlight the disparity in social support for families across the EU, with Greece and several other countries lagging significantly behind the leaders in family benefit spending.

(Source: Eurostat)