Turkey: Social protection expenses reach $105B in 2017

By Gokhan

ISTANBUL

The social protection expenditures reached to 382.6 billion Turkish liras ($104.8 billion) in 2017, Turkey's statistical authority announced on Wednesday.

The social protection expenditures rose by 13.7 percent year-on-year in 2017, according to TurkStat's figures.

It noted 98.1 percent of all of the social protection expenditures of social protection benefits -- 375.5 billion Turkish liras ($102.9 billion).

The biggest share from the social protection benefits was taken by old age group with 185.4 billion Turkish liras ($50.8 billion), followed by the sickness/health care function with 103.8 billion ($28.4 billion).

"The social protection benefits are the sum of the social benefits provided within the 8 risks/needs (sickness/health care, disability, old age, survivors, family/children, unemployment, housing, and social exclusion)," TurkStat said.

The social protection expenses were 12.3 percent of Turkey's GDP, which was 3.1 trillion Turkish liras (nearly $850.7 billion), in 2017.

"Government contributions accounted for 38.1 percent of social protection receipts. Social contributions by employers' represented 28.9 percent and protected people social contributions constituted 26.3 percent of social protection receipts," TurkStat said.

In 2017, the country has 13.26 million people, who receive pensions -- old age, survivors or disability person -- these figures were 12.9 million in 2016.

TurkStat will release the next bulletin on this subject on Dec. 2019.