Number of people receiving social/disability benefits

Armenia

Source of data: National Health Information Analytic Center, Ministry of Health of the Republic of
Armenia.
Data collected annually, reference period: 31 December.

Austria

Source: Federal and provincial long-term care allowance.

Belgium

Source: Federal Public Service Social Security.

Croatia

Source in 1999:Croatian Institute for Pension Insurance and Social Welfare Source in 2000: Croatian
Institute for Pension Insurance only.
Source in 2008: Ministry of Health and Social Care, Croatian Pension Insurance Institute and
war-disabled persons.

Cyprus

No data are available

Czechia

Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of CR. Data relates to number of persons receiving
invalidity pensions as of end of year.
Break in time series: since 2010 due to legislative changes.

Denmark

http://www.statistikbanken.dk/statbank5a/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?MainTable=KONT3&PLanguage=0&PXSId=0

Estonia

Source: Social Insurance Board and Ministry of Social Affairs. Year-end data.
Persons with officially valid disabilities, i.e degree of disability verified by the Social
Insurance Board with the help of medical experts.
Up to 2000 data on invalidity pensioners (adults only). Since 2001 recipients of monthly social
benefits for the disabled (benefits partly to compensate additional expenses and not substitute
income).
(Number of recipients of pension for incapacity for work (as substitute income) has increased from
43 000 in 2000 to 83 400 in 2010 end-year.)

Finland

Source: The national pension system 1985-1995. The national pension system and the employment
pension system 2000-2004.

France

The French insurance system for disability is complex; in particular the same person with
disablement may receive various benefits. It isn't possible to eliminate redundancy.

Germany

Source: Federal Statistical Office, Statistics on the severely handicapped persons, Fachserie 13,
Reihe 5.1 (Data is collected every second year at December, 31).
http://www.destatis.de or http://www.gbe-bund.de
Coverage: The reported figures refer to severely handicapped persons.
As severely handicapped, persons are regarded who
a) are not only temporarily physically, mentally or emotionally handicapped with a degree of
disability of 50% or more,
b) legally live in the Federal Republic of Germany or have their usual residence or workplace as an
employee there and
c) possess a certification (identification card) of disability.
Only these persons are eligible for social benefits like reduced or no fares in public
transportation.

Greece

The numbers given for the years 1990-2000 refer to the persons receiving social benefits due to
disablement from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. These numbers are estimated to be a third of
the total number of persons in Greece that receive social benefits due to disablement.

Hungary

Source: Central Administration of National Pension Insurance (ONYF).
Note: From 1992 onward, data includes the number of persons with disability, with changed capacity
for work and those receiving accident benefits and disability benefits (all of working age 15-64).

Iceland

Source: Social Insurance Administration (formerly named State Social Security Institute).
Before 2011: All individuals 16-66 years old, assessed with 75% invalidity, receiving disability
benefits during a given calendar year. Based on counts of individuals receiving benefits in December
of each year. As of 2011: Age group 18-66 years old.

Ireland

Source: Department of Social Protection. Refers to the number of persons in receipt of Disability
Allowance, Invalidity Pension and Disablement Pensions. Disability Allowance is paid to persons aged
between 16 and 66 who have an injury, disease or physical or mental disability that has continued or
may be expected to continue for at least one year.
Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or
disability and are covered by social insurance (PRSI). To qualify one must have been incapable of
work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months or
be permanently incapable of work.
Disablement Benefit is a benefit under the Occupational Injuries Scheme. It can be paid to persons
who suffer a loss of physical or mental faculty because of an accident at work, an accident
travelling directly to or from work, or a prescribed disease contracted at work. Payment is only
made where the level of disablement following the accident or disease is assessed at 15% or more.
The apparent drop in numbers in 2006 is due to recipients of Invalidity Pension having been
transferred to State Pension (Contributory) upon reaching 66 years of age from 2006.

Israel

Receiving disability benefits from the Social Insurance system (aged 18 to retirement age) and the
Ministry of Defence.
Source: National Insurance Institute and Ministry of Defence.

Italy

Number of Welfare beneficiaries being entitled to special accompanying and communication benefits.
Source: Ministero dell'Interno. Since 2001, Source: INPS (National Institute of Social Security).

Kyrgyzstan

Until 2015, the data came from the National Statistics Committee. In 2015, the numbers starting from
1990 were replaced by more reliable numbers provided by the Ministry of Social Labor.

Latvia

The number of persons receiving disability pension.

Lithuania

Source: Central Statistical Office (CSO).
Coverage: Data includes persons receiving social insurance disability (until 1st July, 2005) or work
incapacity benefits (since 1st July, 2005).

Luxembourg

Number (annual average) of persons (age<65) receiving a disability pension.
Source: Centre commun de la securite sociale (CCSS)

Malta

Source: Social Security Department, Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity.

Montenegro

Compensation for disability, aid and care compensation includes compensation for disability,
disability pensions of unemployed invalids of II and III category, disability pensions of disabled
workers of II and III category, as well as funds for assistance to beneficiaries.
Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro.
Note: The jump in trend between 1989-1990 may be due to the influx of refugees from the region due
to the civil war in former Yugoslavia at that time, which led to an increase of persons receiving
social/disability benefits.

Netherlands

Source of data: Up to 1996 Gemeenschappelijke Medische Dienst (Joint Medical Service). 1997-2001:
LISV. 2002-2006: UWV; from 2007 onwards: Statistics Netherlands. Figures are end-of-year data.
The figures from 2007 onwards refer to persons receiving disability benefits; a person receiving
benefits from 2 or more sources is counted as 1.

North Macedonia

Source: Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. Prepared by: Institute for Public Health (IPH)
The break in trend between 2004 and 2005 is due to a change in methodology. Up to 2004 the
definition included: permanent financial help (aid), compensation for caring for another person and
social help. From 2005, the definition only includes: permanent financial help (aid) and
compensation for caring for another person.

Portugal

Source of data: Social Security Coverage: Only the population covered by Social Security Schemes is
included. The civil servants are not included.

Republic of Moldova

Prior to 2005, only recipients of disability pension of state social insurance were included. From
2005 onwards, recipients of social benefits of the state social insurance and persons with
disabilities consisting on the account of power structures are included.

Serbia

No data are available.

Slovakia

From 2001-2004 disabled working pensioners were included as receiving a disabled pension. From 2005
disabled pensioners receive a regular old-age pension.
Source: Social Insurance Agency in Slovakia

Slovenia

Data are not available from NIJZ databases.

Sweden

Source: The Swedish Social Insurance Agency (F”rs„kringskassan)
Accumulated number of persons with sickness and activity benefit (formerly ?disability pension?) on
December 31.
https://www.forsakringskassan.se
Note: From 1984 onwards: slightly changed definitions. Before 1993 people only entitled to basic
pension. After that people also entitled to supplementary pension.

Switzerland

Source of data: Coverage: Deviation from the definition: Estimation method: Break in time series:

Türkiye

Source of data: 2013 Turkish Statistical Yearbook, TURKSTAT.
Method: When calculating the number of persons receiving social and disability benefits,
beneficiaries of the Emekli Sandigi/ES, the Bag-Kur and the Sosyal Sigortalar Kurumu/SSK were
calculated separately for the years 2008 and earlier. The groups covered are as follows: Emekli
Sandigi/ES (Government Employee's Retirement Fund: -Disabled persons; -Persons disabled on the job;
-Widows and orphans of disabled persons, -Widows and orphans of persons disabled on the job;
-National (military service and medal salary. Bag-Kur (Self Employed People's Retirement Fund):
-Old-age benefit; -Disability benefit; -Widow and orphan's benefit. Sosyal Sigortalar Kurumu/SSK
(Social Insurance Organization /SIO); -Disabled persons, his/her spouse and children in the context
of job accident and occupational diseases; -Persons receiving disability/old-age benefits and
his/her spouse, children and parents.

Turkmenistan

Data are not available.

Ukraine

Total number of persons receiving pensions (social support) due to invalidity.
Source of data: State Statistic Department.
Break in time series: Different definition/calculation applied since 1996.
Note: The decrease since 2007 might be due to changes in pension legislation.

United Kingdom

Data are not available.