Coverage of social safety net programs in poorest quintile (% of population) by country
Coverage of social safety net programs shows the percentage of population participating in cash transfers and last resort programs, noncontributory social pensions, other cash transfers programs (child, family and orphan allowances, birth and death grants, disability benefits, and other allowances), conditional...
What the numbers show
Coverage of social safety net programs in poorest quintile (% of population) is currently reported for 39 countries. The highest value is 99.3% in Bolivia; the lowest is 3.4% in Cote d'Ivoire.
The median across all reporting countries is 60.8%, and the mean is 60.0%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 29.
Over the past decade 20 countries rose and 19 fell. The largest increase was in Pakistan (up 1,705.3%), and the largest decrease in Cote d'Ivoire (down 88.1%).
Coverage of social safety net programs in poorest quintile (%): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bolivia | 99.3% | 2021 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 2 | Mongolia | 98.8% | 2020 | up 1.5% | flat |
| 3 | Thailand | 97.1% | 2021 | up 16.7% | rising |
| 4 | Peru | 95.3% | 2022 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 5 | South Africa | 94.6% | 2021 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 6 | Chile | 92.8% | 2022 | down 1.4% | falling |
| 7 | El Salvador | 91.3% | 2022 | down 2.1% | rising |
| 8 | Vietnam | 88.6% | 2020 | up 52.0% | rising |
| 9 | Panama | 87.0% | 2023 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 10 | Uruguay | 82.1% | 2022 | down 10.4% | flat |
| 11 | Costa Rica | 81.9% | 2022 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 12 | Romania | 79.0% | 2021 | down 4.5% | flat |
| 13 | Russia | 77.6% | 2017 | up 65.7% | rising |
| 14 | Georgia | 74.6% | 2021 | down 4.0% | flat |
| 15 | Paraguay | 73.3% | 2022 | down 15.0% | rising |
| 16 | Poland | 71.8% | 2019 | up 18.0% | falling |
| 17 | Indonesia | 69.4% | 2022 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 18 | Argentina | 68.9% | 2022 | up 173.2% | rising |
| 19 | Brazil | 64.3% | 2022 | up 158.0% | rising |
| 20 | Belarus | 60.8% | 2019 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 21 | Armenia | 59.7% | 2022 | up 61.8% | rising |
| 22 | Dominican Republic | 57.0% | 2021 | up 49.7% | rising |
| 23 | Ecuador | 56.5% | 2022 | down 36.3% | falling |
| 24 | Colombia | 54.0% | 2022 | down 11.6% | falling |
| 25 | Mexico | 51.6% | 2022 | down 25.1% | rising |
| 26 | Honduras | 50.4% | 2019 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 27 | Moldova | 50.0% | 2018 | up 20.0% | rising |
| 28 | Sri Lanka | 48.8% | 2019 | up 9.2% | flat |
| 29 | Malawi | 42.4% | 2019 | up 122.3% | falling |
| 30 | Kazakhstan | 41.1% | 2021 | down 8.7% | falling |
| 31 | Turkey | 39.6% | 2019 | down 5.0% | rising |
| 32 | Ukraine | 33.4% | 2020 | down 42.4% | falling |
| 33 | Pakistan | 20.6% | 2018 | up 1,705.3% | rising |
| 34 | Kosovo | 19.5% | 2017 | up 20.9% | rising |
| 34 | Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) | 19.5% | 2017 | up 20.9% | rising |
| 36 | Kyrgyzstan | 15.3% | 2020 | down 2.2% | flat |
| 37 | Serbia | 14.7% | 2022 | down 44.4% | falling |
| 38 | Albania | 13.3% | 2018 | down 70.7% | volatile |
| 39 | Cote d'Ivoire | 3.4% | 2021 | down 88.1% | volatile |
About this data
Coverage of social safety net programs shows the percentage of population participating in cash transfers and last resort programs, noncontributory social pensions, other cash transfers programs (child, family and orphan allowances, birth and death grants, disability benefits, and other allowances), conditional cash transfers, in-kind food transfers (food stamps and vouchers, food rations, supplementary feeding, and emergency food distribution), school feeding, other social assistance programs (housing allowances, scholarships, fee waivers, health subsidies, and other social assistance) and public works programs (cash for work and food for work). Estimates include both direct and indirect beneficiaries.