In 2022, Italy allocated a total of 559.513 billion euros to pensions, healthcare and assistance, with an increase of 6.2% compared to the previous year (32.656 billion). Spending on social services absorbed more than half of the total public expenditure, 51.65%. Compared to 2012, and therefore over the course of a decade, spending on welfare increased by as much as 127.5 billion structural (+29.4%); a growth attributable above all to the welfare costs borne by general taxation, which grew by 126.3% compared to “only” 37 billion in social security spending (+17%) and 18% of our Gross Domestic Product. This is the picture drawn by the latest Report on the Budget of the Italian Social Security System edited by the Social Security Itineraries Study and Research Center, edited by Alberto Brambilla, presented to the Chamber of Deputies. According to the study, the data shows that the value of social security spending is in line with the European average but far from what was actually communicated to Brussels, “generating confusion and exposing the country to the risk of a new harsh reform”. For this reason, attention must be paid to the “need to separate social security and assistance”.
The numbers
Welfare spending in Italy in 2022 reached 157 billion with an increase of 126% in 10 years. Social security itineraries underlines this in a report presented today on welfare according to which 559.5 billion was spent on healthcare, pensions and assistance during the year, with an increase of 6.2% compared to the previous year. Spending on social services absorbed more than half of the total public expenditure, 51.65%. Compared to 2012, and therefore over the course of a decade, overall welfare spending increased by 127.5 billion structural (+29.4%); increase attributable above all to welfare costs borne by general taxation, which grew by 126.3% compared to +17% for social security spending and +18% of our Gross Domestic Product. “It is a framework – we read – which draws attention once again to the need to separate social security and assistance, containing the latter more”.
Pension benefits in 2022 are 22,772,004, (+0.06% compared to 2021). These are 17,710,006 benefits provided in the IVS type (Disability, old age and survivors), to which must be added 4,420,837 INPS welfare pensions and 641,161 INAIL compensation benefits. Compared to the previous Report, IVS benefits as well as indemnity benefits are decreasing but those of a welfare nature are increasing (+0.95%), which is therefore mainly due to the overall increase in treatments. Between 2008 and 2022, there was a decrease of 935,291 benefits, to which the trend in IVS pensions (-4.92%) and indemnity benefits (-32.60%) contributed above all; welfare treatments, on the other hand, went against the trend, growing by 7.06%. On average, each retiree receives 1,411 benefits, the lowest level since 2006.