Social protection sickness and healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP was highest in Germany (11.2% of GDP), while it was lowest in Poland (4.8%), according to the latest estimate released by Eurostat.
"Social protection sickness and healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP has increased in all EU Member States except Poland when comparing 2020 with 2019. However, this is partly because nominal GDP has decreased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, social protection benefits expenditure in general increased in all Member States," Eurostat said at its website.
"Among the Member States for which 2020 estimates are available, social protection sickness and healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP was highest in Germany (11.2% of GDP), France (10.0%) and Belgium (8.8%), while it was lowest in Poland (4.8%), Estonia (5.1%), Lithuania and Latvia (both 5.2%)," the EU's statistical body said.
"The largest increase in sickness and healthcare benefits between 2019 and 2020 in Member States for which 2020 estimates are available was recorded in Cyprus (+2.2 percentage points in % of GDP). Cyprus was followed by Belgium (+1.3 pp) and Czechia (+1.2 pp). The only country that recorded a decrease was Poland (-0.3 pp)," we read.
Eurostat said that this information comes from early estimates on social protection expenditure, which are main headline indicators for the European System of integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS) and are being provided by the reporting countries on a voluntary basis.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Eurostat
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