A young couple playing with a child.

In 2022, EU countries spent an average of €830 per person on family benefits, marking a 46.7% increase over the past decade (from €566 in 2012). 

The countries with the highest expenditure on family benefits per person in 2022 were Luxembourg (€3 789), Denmark (€1 878) and Germany (€1 616). The countries with the lowest expenditure were Bulgaria (€211), Greece (€264) and Cyprus (€277).

Family benefits expenditure, 2022, € per inhabitant. Chart. See link to the full dataset below.

Source dataset: spr_exp_func

Family benefits account for 8.6% of all social protection spendings 

Family benefits represented 8.6% of the total spending on social protection benefits in 2022 in the EU, an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared with 2012. 

The highest shares of expenditure on family benefits were recorded in Poland (15.6% of the total social benefits), Luxembourg (14.8%) and Estonia (12.4%). The lowest shares were in Cyprus (4.6%), the Netherlands (4.7%) and Portugal (5.3%).

Family benefit expenditure, 2022, % of total social protection expenditure. Chart. See link to the full dataset below.

Source dataset: spr_exp_func

For more information

Methodological note

In this article, ‘family benefits’ refer to ‘family/children benefits’ as classified by the European system of integrated social protection statistics (ESSPROS) methodology. They include support (except healthcare) in connection with the costs of pregnancy, childbirth and adoption, childcare and caring for other family members.

For information on upcoming releases visit our release calendar. If you have any queries, please visit our contact us page.