Coverage of social safety net programs (% 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 (% of population) is currently reported for 39 countries. The highest value is 96.8% in Bolivia; the lowest is 4.0% in Cote d'Ivoire.
The median across all reporting countries is 42.0%, and the mean is 44.9%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 24.
Over the past decade 22 countries rose and 17 fell. The largest increase was in Pakistan (up 295.0%), and the largest decrease in Cote d'Ivoire (down 85.0%).
Coverage of social safety net programs (% of population): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bolivia | 96.8% | 2021 | up 29.5% | rising |
| 2 | Vietnam | 88.2% | 2020 | up 128.9% | volatile |
| 3 | El Salvador | 87.7% | 2022 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 4 | Mongolia | 87.1% | 2020 | down 8.0% | flat |
| 5 | Thailand | 87.1% | 2021 | up 39.1% | rising |
| 6 | Peru | 79.8% | 2022 | down 7.9% | rising |
| 7 | Chile | 78.2% | 2022 | up 1.0% | falling |
| 8 | South Africa | 76.7% | 2021 | up 26.2% | rising |
| 9 | Georgia | 66.0% | 2021 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 10 | Russia | 65.8% | 2017 | up 133.8% | rising |
| 11 | Panama | 64.5% | 2023 | up 19.7% | rising |
| 12 | Romania | 59.0% | 2021 | down 5.2% | flat |
| 13 | Indonesia | 54.6% | 2022 | up 1.4% | falling |
| 14 | Poland | 53.3% | 2019 | up 29.6% | falling |
| 15 | Paraguay | 50.1% | 2022 | down 19.2% | rising |
| 16 | Costa Rica | 49.1% | 2022 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 17 | Dominican Republic | 47.9% | 2021 | up 80.2% | rising |
| 18 | Belarus | 47.2% | 2019 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 19 | Uruguay | 45.7% | 2022 | down 22.8% | falling |
| 20 | Armenia | 42.0% | 2022 | up 67.7% | rising |
| 21 | Mexico | 40.6% | 2022 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 22 | Malawi | 37.7% | 2019 | up 90.3% | falling |
| 23 | Ukraine | 36.8% | 2020 | down 25.0% | rising |
| 24 | Argentina | 33.2% | 2022 | up 104.1% | rising |
| 25 | Moldova | 32.7% | 2018 | down 3.0% | rising |
| 26 | Colombia | 31.4% | 2022 | down 24.7% | falling |
| 27 | Sri Lanka | 30.0% | 2019 | up 26.8% | rising |
| 28 | Honduras | 29.3% | 2019 | down 40.2% | falling |
| 29 | Ecuador | 28.1% | 2022 | down 58.6% | falling |
| 30 | Brazil | 28.1% | 2022 | up 43.9% | rising |
| 31 | Kazakhstan | 27.6% | 2021 | down 17.7% | falling |
| 32 | Turkey | 14.5% | 2019 | down 19.5% | falling |
| 33 | Pakistan | 10.3% | 2018 | up 295.0% | rising |
| 34 | Kyrgyzstan | 9.9% | 2020 | up 16.6% | rising |
| 35 | Serbia | 8.3% | 2022 | down 29.6% | falling |
| 36 | Kosovo | 7.2% | 2017 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 36 | Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) | 7.2% | 2017 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 38 | Albania | 6.0% | 2018 | down 81.7% | volatile |
| 39 | Cote d'Ivoire | 4.0% | 2021 | down 85.0% | 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.