Social protection expenditure
Social protection expenditure mainly comprises
- pensions
- health insurance and
- unemployment security spending, as well as
- social and healthcare costs covered by tax reserves.
Private insurance, social and health care patient and client fees or personal liability in health insurance are not calculated in social expenditure.
Social protection expenditure in Finland was
- 65.7 billion euros in 2014
- 67.4 billion euros in 2015
- 69.1 billion euros in 2016
In 2016, social protection expenditure was 32.0 per cent in relation to GDP. This is in the same level as in 2015. The GDP share of social protection expenditure in Finland is above the EU average. The per capita social protection expenditure adjusted by purchasing power parity is also higher than the EU average.
Financing expenditure
Social protection in Finland is financed as follows (2016):
- employers pay 34.4 %
- insured pay 13.3 %
- the state pays 26.5 %
- municipalities pay 20.8 %
The remaining 6% is covered by return of social protection funds.
In Finland, statistics on social protection expenditure are produced by The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
Finland's social protection expenditure for the years 2014-2016
Social protection expenditure by function and per capita 2014–2016 at 2016 prices, €
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Sickness and health | 15 446 | 15 742 | 15 460 |
| Disability | 6 982 | 6 777 | 6 741 |
| Old age | 24 876 | 26 411 | 27 693 |
| Survivors | 1 806 | 1 760 | 1 789 |
| Family and children | 6 560 | 6 642 | 6 632 |
| Unemployment | 5 257 | 5 581 | 5 588 |
| Housing | 1 242 | 1 455 | 1644 |
| Other social protection | 1 848 | 1 855 | 2 374 |
| Administration | 1 639 | 1 157 | 1 147 |
| Total | 65 656 | 67 379 | 69 058 |
| Per capita | 11 999 | 12 279 | 12 548 |
| Social protection expenditrure in relation to GDP, & | 31,9 | 32,0 | 32,0 |
| Source: National Institute for Health and Welfare |
Distribution of social expenditure by target group, %
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Sickness and health | 23,5% | 23,4% | 22,4% |
| Disability | 10,6% | 10,1% | 9,8% |
| Old age | 37,9% | 39,2% | 40,1% |
| Survivors | 2,8% | 2,6% | 2,6% |
| Family and children | 10,0% | 9,9% | 9,6% |
| Unemployment | 8,0% | 8,3% | 8,1% |
| Housing | 1,9% | 2,2% | 2,4% |
| Other social protection | 2,8% | 2,8% | 3,4% |
| Administration | 2,5% | 1,7% | 1,7% |
| Total | 100,0% | 100,0% | 100,0% |
Financing of social protection expenditure, current prices, 2014–2016, %
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| State | 27,7 | 26,0 | 26,1 |
| Munincipalities | 19,5 | 21,9 | 21,8 |
| Employers | 34,7 | 34,0 | 33,8 |
| Insured | 13,0 | 13,1 | 13,3 |
| Other | 5,1 | 5,0 | 5,0 |
| Total | 100,0 | 100,0 | 100,0 |