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Universal social protection
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World Social Protection Report 2017–19

Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

World Social Protection Report 2017–19
Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE • GENEVA

Copyright © International Labour Organization 2017
First published 2017
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World Social Protection Report 2017–19: Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
International Labour Office – Geneva: ILO, 2017
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International Labour Office
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Preface

ocial protection and the right to social security have been an integral element of
the ILO’s mandate since its creation in 1919. Since then, the ILO has supported its
member States in progressively extending coverage and building their social protection
systems, based on internationally agreed social security standards and good practice.
While few countries had social protection systems in place a century ago, today virtually all countries do, and eforts to extend social protection coverage and beneits are
continuing.
Over that period the ILO has developed and adopted a series of international standards which set out a normative framework for the right to social security. Complementing international human rights instruments, this normative framework today includes
16 up-to-date social security standards which guide national social protection policies.
he most recently adopted standard, the ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202), relects the global tripartite commitment to guarantee at least a
basic level of social security to all in the form of a nationally deined social protection
loor, and to ensure progressively wider scope and higher levels of protection.
his commitment to building social security systems, including loors, is also relected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Most prominently, SDG 1.3
calls upon countries to implement nationally appropriate social protection systems for
all, including loors, for reducing and preventing poverty. Furthermore, the importance
of social protection for sustainable development is relected in several other goals, including universal health coverage (SDG 3.8), gender equality (SDG 5.4), decent work
and economic growth (SDG 8.5) and greater equality (SDG 10.4). Social protection
policies not only protect people from various shocks across the life cycle, but also play
a key role in boosting domestic demand and productivity, supporting structural transformation of national economies, and promoting decent work.

In light of the ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030, this World Social Protection Report provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of social protection systems around the globe, their coverage, beneits, and expenditures, following a
life-cycle approach. It highlights progress in expanding social protection as well as remaining gaps that need to be closed, and discusses key challenges to the realization of
the right to social security. Based on the comprehensive ILO World Social Protection
Database and the ILO Social Security Inquiry, an administrative survey submitted to

S

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vi

countries, the report presents irst estimates of disaggregated coverage indicators for the
monitoring of SDG indicator 1.3.1. Providing extensive, in-depth country-level statistics on various dimensions of social security, it thus serves as an essential reference for
policy-makers and anyone interested in social protection.
While social protection is at the centre of the 2030 Development Agenda, the right
to social security is not yet a reality for some 71 per cent of the world’s population that
has no or has only partial access to comprehensive social protection systems. It is clear
that countries need to step up measures towards realizing this right.
At the same time the world is facing a number of fundamental challenges, such as
demographic change, low economic growth, migration, conlicts and environmental

problems. Employment patterns are evolving fast, with new forms of employment on
the rise, with limited job and income security, and without adequate social protection.
Growing income insecurity, including among the middle class, as well as decent work
deicits have weighed heavily on perceptions of social justice and challenged the implicit social contract in many societies, while in others iscal consolidation policies have
threatened the long-term progress achieved towards the realization of the human right
to social security and of other human rights.
hese challenges can and must be addressed. Extending social protection coverage
to those previously excluded and adapting social protection systems to new forms of
work and employment, are essential to tackling decent work deicits and reducing vulnerability and insecurity.
he case for social protection is compelling in our times. Social protection measures
not only support the realization of the human right to social security, but are both an
economic and a social necessity. Well-designed social protection systems contribute to
reducing poverty and inequality, while enhancing social cohesion and political stability.
he important role of social protection for inclusive economic growth is underlined by
bold eforts in strengthening social protection systems in a number of low- and middleincome countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Such progress
in building social protection systems, including loors, demonstrates that our societies
can aford to provide at least a basic level of social security to all, and to progressively
extend the scope and level of social security coverage.
I hope that this report will be a valuable tool for practitioners and serve as an evidence-based resource for policy-makers in their pursuit to strengthen social protection,
promote social justice and foster sustainable development.

Guy Ryder
Director-General
International Labour Oice

Acknowledgements

his report was prepared by the Social Protection Department and ield specialists
of the ILO, a team supervised and coordinated by the Director of the ILO Social
Protection Department, Isabel Ortiz, and by Christina Behrendt, Head of the Social
Policy Unit at the Department. Speciic contributions were received from colleagues of
the ILO Social Protection Department (in alphabetical order): James Canonge, Social
Protection Policy Oicer; Jeronim Capaldo, former Data and Econometrics Specialist; Loveleen De, Social Protection Oicer; Fabio Durán Valverde, Head of the Public
Finance, Actuarial and Statistics Unit; Victoria Giroud-Castiella, Social Protection
Oicer; Aidi Hu, Specialist Social Security Asia; Kagisanyo Kelobang, Social Protection Analyst; Quynh Anh Nguyen, Junior Social Protection Policy and Research Oficer; Karuna Pal, Head of the Programming, Partnerships and Knowledge-Sharing
Unit; André Picard, Head of the Actuarial Services Unit; Xenia Scheil-Adlung, Senior
Health Policy Coordinator; Valérie Schmitt, Deputy Director; Emmanuelle Saint
Pierre-Guilbault, Legal Specialist Social Security; Maya Stern Plaza, Legal Oicer;
Ippei Tsuruga, Junior Professional Officer Social Protection Policy; Stefan Urban,
Junior Professional Oicer Social Protection Financing; Clara van Panhuys, Social Protection Oicer; and Veronika Wodsak, Expert Social Security.

T

Contributions were also received from colleagues in ILO ield oices (in alphabetical
order): Pascal Annycke, Social Security Specialist, ILO Decent Work Team for North
Africa, Cairo; Dramane Batchabi, Specialist Social Protection, ILO Decent Work Team
for Central Africa, Yaoundé; Fabio Bertranou, Director, ILO Decent Work Team for
the South Cone of Latin America, Santiago de Chile; Joana Borges Henriques, Technical Officer Social Protection, ILO Cabo Verde; Theopiste Butare, former Senior
Social Security Technical Specialist, ILO Decent Work Team for West Africa, Dakar;
Pablo Casalí, Specialist Social Protection and Economic Development, ILO Decent
Work Team for the South Cone of Latin America, Santiago de Chile; Nuno Cunha,
Senior Technical Specialist Social Protection, ILO Decent Work Team for East and
South-East Asia and the Paciic, Bangkok; Hiba Dbaibo, ILO Regional Oice for the
Arab States, Beirut; Luis Frota, Specialist Social Security, ILO Decent Work Team for
Eastern and Southern Africa, Pretoria; Kenichi Hirose, Senior Specialist Social Protection, ILO Decent Work Team for Central and Eastern Europe, Budapest; Ursula Kulke,
Senior Specialist Social Security, ILO Regional Office for the Arab States, Beirut;
Qingyi Li, National Programme Oicer, ILO Country Oice for China and Mongolia, Beijing; Hellen Magutu, National Project Coordinator, ILO Kenya Oice; Patience
Matandiko, National Project Oicer, ILO Country Oice for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Lusaka; Dampu Ndenzako, National Project Oicer, ILO Country Oice
for the United Republic of Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, Dar es Salaam;
Luca Pellerano, Chief Technical Advisor, ILO Country Oice for Zambia, Malawi and

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World Social Protection Report 2017–19: Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Mozambique, Lusaka; Céline Peyron Bista, Chief Technical Advisor, ILO Regional
Oice for Asia and the Paciic, Bangkok; Marielle Phe Goursat, Expert Social Health
Protection, ILO Country Oice for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Lusaka; Ariel
Pino, Specialist Social Protection and OSH, ILO Decent Work Team for the Caribbean, Port of Spain; Markus Ruck, Senior Specialist Social Security, ILO Decent Work
Team for South Asia, New Delhi; Helmut Schwarzer, Specialist Social Protection and
Economic Development, ILO Country Oice for Mexico and Cuba, Mexico; Sergio
Velasco, Specialist Social Security, ILO Decent Work Team for the Andean Countries,
Lima; and Ruben Vicente Andres, Social Protection Expert, ILO Mozambique.

viii

Additionally, Laura Addati, Maternity Protection and Work Family Specialist of the
ILO’s Gender Equality and Diversity Branch, contributed to Chapter 2 and section 3.2
on maternity protection. Stefan Trömel, Senior Specialist Disability, and Jürgen Menze,
Oicer Disability Inclusion of the same ILO Branch contributed to section 3.5 on disability beneits. Anne Drouin, Director, ILO’s Global Employment Injury Insurance

Programme, together with Hiroshi Yamabana, Senior Policy Advisor in Employment
Injury, and Cristina Lloret, Junior Actuary and Policy Analyst, drated section 3.4 on
employment injury protection. Kroum Markov, former Legal Specialist of the ILO’s
International Labour Standards Department, contributed to Chapter 4 on pensions.
he enormous work of data collection and processing, from the design and dissemination of the ILO Social Security Inquiry, to the collection and validation of data from
countries, as well as the compilation of the ILO World Social Protection Database, was
supervised by the Director of the Social Protection Department, Isabel Ortiz, and produced by a team led by Fabio Durán Valverde, Head of the Public Finance, Actuarial and
Statistics Unit at the ILO Social Protection Department, consisting of (in alphabetical
order): Andrés Acuña Ulate, Social Security Actuary; Jeronim Capaldo, formerly Data
and Econometrics Specialist, now ILO Research Department; Luis Cotinguiba, Technical Oicer Social Protection; Valeria Nesterenko, Social Protection Oicer (Statistician); as well as Zhiming Yu, Intern; Vanessa Sampaio, Consultant; and Roshelle Wee
Eng, Consultant. his work was carried out in close collaboration with the International
Social Security Association (ISSA), under the supervision of Dominique La Salle, Director of the ISSA Social Security Development Branch; Raúl Ruggia Frick, Head of the
Centre for Excellence; Shea McClanahan, former Project Manager and Technical Oficer; and Roddy McKinnon, Publications, and Editor and Manager of the International
Social Security Review. Rafael Diez de Medina, Chief Statistician/Department Director,
and Stephen Kapsos, Head Data Production and Analysis Unit of the ILO Department
of Statistics provided support on the regional and global estimations, so as to be in accordance with other ILO-monitored SDGs. Special thanks go to the team led by Yongyi
Min, Chief of the Sustainable Development Goal Monitoring Unit, Statistics Division,
of the Department of Economic and Social Afairs at the United Nations, and to all the
national statistical oices that contributed to the data collection eforts.
he report beneited from the guidance of Deborah Greenield, ILO Deputy DirectorGeneral for Policy; Sangheon Lee, Director a.i. of the ILO Research Department; and

James Howard, Senior Adviser to the ILO Director-General. In addition to the inputs
listed above, the report beneited from comments from colleagues in other ILO technical departments and ield oices, including Azita Berar Awad, Director of the Department of Employment Policy; Deborah France-Massin, Director of the Bureau for
Employers’ Activities; Manuela Tomei, Director of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Rafael Gijon, Deputy Director of the Bureau for Employers’ Activities;

Acknowledgements

Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard, Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Oice for Europe and
Central Asia; Youcef Ghellab, Head of the Social Dialogue and Tripartism Unit, Governance and Tripartism Department; Michelle Leighton, Chief of the Labour Migration Branch, Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Philippe Marcadent,
Chief of the Inclusive Labour Markets, Labour Relations and Working Conditions
Branch, Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Shauna Olney, Chief of the
Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch, Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Mariya Aleksynska, Economist and Labour Market Specialist, Conditions of
Work and Equality Department; Koi Amekudzi, Technical Oicer, Conditions of
Work and Equality Department; Antonia Aseno, Economist, Research Department;
Zulum Avila, Technical Oicer Employment Services, Employment Policy Department; Janine Berg, Senior Economist and Labour Market Specialist, Conditions of
Work and Equality Department; Florence Bonnet, Labour Market Specialist, Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Laura Brewer, Skills Development Policy and
Programmes for Youth Employment, Employment Policy Department; Marva CorleyCoulibaly, Senior Economist, Research Department; Rishab Dhir, Technical Oicer,
Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Elizabeth Echeverria Manrique, Research Oicer, Research Department; Ekkehard Ernst, Senior Economist, Research
Department; Verónica Escudero, Research Department; Valeria Esquivel, Gender
Equality Research and Data Oicer, Conditions of Work and Equality Department;
Takhmina Karimova, Research Officer, Research Department; Samia Kazi Aoul,
Specialist Labour Migration, Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Vicky
Leung, Technical Oicer, Employment Policy Department; Jürgen Menze, Disability Inclusion Oicer, Conditions of Work and Equality Department; Henrik Møller,
Senior Relations Specialist, Bureau for Employers’ Activities; David Mosler, Junior
Professional Oicer, ILO Regional Oice for Europe and Central Asia; Eric Oechslin, Senior Specialist Employers’ Activities, ILO Decent Work Team for North Africa,
Cairo; Martin Oelz, Senior Specialist Equality and Non-discrimination, Conditions
of Work and Equality Department; José Francisco Ortiz, National Project Coordinator, ILO Decent Work Team for Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic; Clemente Pignatti, Economist, Research Department; Ira Postolachi,
Junior Research Oicer, Research Department; Mikhail Pouchkin, Senior Specialist
Employment, ILO Decent Work Team for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Moscow;
Catherine Saget, Senior Technical Specialist and Team Leader, Research Department;
Dorothea Schmidt-Klau, Head of the Department Management and Coordination
Unit, Department of Employment Policy; Pelin Sekerler Richardi, Research Oicer,
Research Department; Artiom Sici, Social Protection Oicer, ILO Decent Work Team
for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Moscow; Steven Tobin, Senior Economist, ILO
Research Department; Mito Tsukamoto, Senior Economist, Employment Policy Department; Sanchir Tugschimeg, Principal Oicer-Relations/TC (Asia), Bureau for Employers’ Activities; as well as the comments of two anonymous peer reviewers.
Karuna Pal, Head of the Programming, Partnerships and Knowledge-Sharing Unit,
and Victoria Giroud-Castiella, Social Protection Oicer, both of the ILO Social Protection Department, coordinated the editing, translation, production, publication and
dissemination of this report. Warm thanks are due to May Hofman, editor; the team
of the ILO Document and Publications Production, Printing and Distribution Branch
(PRODOC); Richelle van Snellenberg, Susana Cardoso and Stéphane Givkovic of the
ILO Library; Martin Murphy, Adam Bowers, Chris Edgar, Jean-Luc Martinage and
Edyta Radwillowicz of the ILO Department for Communications; and many others
involved in the preparation of this report.

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Contents

Preface  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

v

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vii

List of abbreviations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xxv

Executive summary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxix
1. Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.1 Leaving no one behind: Social protection
in the 2030 Development Agenda  . . . . . . . . . .
1.2 Progress in building social protection systems  .
1.3 Monitoring social protection in the SDGs:
he ILO World Social Protection Database . . .
1.4 Objective and structure of the report  . . . . . . . .

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2. Social protection for children  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.1 Meeting children’s needs through social protection
and realizing child-related SDGs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.2 Types of child and family social protection schemes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3 Efective coverage: Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 for children . . . . . . 16
2.4 Expenditure on social protection for children  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.5 he complementary role of cash beneits and childcare services  . . . . . . . 18
2.6 Universal social protection to promote well-being of children and families  19
3. Social protection for women and men of working age  .
3.1 Introduction: he quest for income security  . . . . . . . . .
3.2 Maternity protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.1 Maternity protection and the SDGs  . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.2 Types of maternity protection schemes  . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.3 Legal coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.4 Efective coverage: Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1
for mothers with newborns  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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World Social Protection Report 2017–19: Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

xii

3.2.5 Adequacy of maternity beneits in ensuring income security
during maternity leave  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.6 Access to maternal health care  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.7 Towards universal maternity protection:
Opportunities and challenges  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3 Unemployment protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3.1 Guaranteeing income security, supporting structural change
in the economy and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals  .
3.3.2 Types of unemployment protection schemes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3.3 Legal coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3.4 Efective coverage: Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1
for unemployment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3.5 Expanding support for those without jobs: Global trends   . . . . . . . .
3.3.6 Strengthening the link between unemployment protection and active
labour market and employment-generating macroeconomic policies 
3.4 Employment injury protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4.1 Protecting workers in case of employment injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4.2 Types of employment injury protection schemes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4.3 Efective coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4.4 Adequacy of beneits  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4.5 Recent developments: Extending employment injury insurance  . . . .
3.5 Disability beneits  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.5.1 Protecting persons with disabilities to ensure employment,
income security and independent living  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.5.2 Types of disability beneit schemes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.5.3 Efective coverage: Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 for persons
with severe disabilities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.5.4 Achieving universal social protection for persons with disabilities:
Recent developments and challenges  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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4. Social protection for older women and men.
Fighting poverty through pension systems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.1 Sustainable Development Goals and income security in old age . . . . . . . 76
4.2 Types of pension schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
4.3 Legal coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
4.4 Efective coverage: Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 for older persons  . . 78
4.5 Trends in pension coverage across the world: Achieving universal
social protection for all older persons  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
4.6 Expenditure on social protection for older persons  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
4.7 Inequalities and the persistent gender gap in access
to income security in old age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
4.8 he adequacy of pensions to provide genuine income security
to older persons  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
4.8.1 Preventing erosion of the value of pensions over time:
Ensuring regular adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
89
4.8.2 Reforming pension systems in the context of iscal consolidation
and austerity policies  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.9 Reversing pension privatization  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
4.9.1 Lessons from three decades of pension privatization  . . . . . . . . . . . .
93
4.9.2 Turning back to public pension systems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
98
4.10 Ensuring income security for older persons: he continuing challenge  . 98

Contents

5. Towards universal health coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.1 ILO Conventions and other international standards
on health protection: An enabling framework to achieve the SDGs .
5.2 Deicits in health coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.2.1 he rural/urban SDG gap towards UHC:
Global and regional assessment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.2.2 Global and regional LTC coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.3 he employment potential of investments in UHC  . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4 Policy priorities to achieve universal health coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4.1 Extending social protection and access to health and LTC,
and providing universal coverage  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4.2 Creating decent jobs for a suicient number of health
and LTC workers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4.3 Ending the practices of unpaid work of family members
to ill workforce shortages in LTC, and of voluntary
community health workers with minimal or no skills  . . . . . . . .
5.5 Universalizing health coverage: Recent trends  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. Monitoring progress in social protection: Regional trends  . . . . .
6.1 Africa  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.1.1 Regional social protection challenges and priorities  . . . . . . . .
6.1.2 Efective social protection coverage:
Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 in Africa  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.1.3 Social protection expenditure, excluding health  . . . . . . . . . .
6.1.4 Regional outlook  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.2 Americas  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.2.1 Regional social protection challenges and priorities  . . . . . . . .
6.2.2 Efective social protection coverage:
Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 in the Americas  . . . . . . . . .
6.2.3 Trends in social protection expenditure, excluding health  . . .
6.2.4 Regional outlook  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.3 Arab States  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.3.1 Regional social protection challenges and priorities  . . . . . . . .
6.3.2 Efective social protection coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.3.3 Trends in social protection expenditure, excluding health  . . .
6.3.4 Regional outlook  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.4 Asia and the Paciic  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.4.1 Regional social protection challenges and priorities  . . . . . . . .
6.4.2 Efective social protection coverage:
Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 in Asia and the Paciic  . . . .
6.4.3 Trends in social protection expenditure, excluding health  . . .
6.4.4 Regional outlook  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.5 Europe and Central Asia  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.5.1 Regional social protection challenges and priorities  . . . . . . . .
6.5.2 Efective social protection coverage:
Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 in Europe and Central Asia 
6.5.3 Social protection expenditure, excluding health  . . . . . . . . . .
6.5.4 Regional outlook  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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World Social Protection Report 2017–19: Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

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7. Monitoring progress in social protection: Global outlook  . . . . . . . . . . .
7.1 Progress in social protection systems, including loors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.1.1 Monitoring SDG indicator 1.3.1 at the global level  . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.1.2 Building the statistical knowledge base on social protection
to monitor the SDGs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2 Moving forward towards universal social protection
and achieving the SDGs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2.1 Extending social protection coverage to those in the informal
economy and facilitating their transition to the formal economy  . . .
7.2.2 Promoting inclusive social protection systems, including loors  . . . .
7.2.3 Ensuring adequate beneits  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2.4 Tackling demographic change  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2.5 he future of work and social protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2.6 Short-term austerity setbacks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2.7 Fiscal space for social protection exists even in the poorest countries 
7.2.8 Social protection for migrants  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2.9 Building social protection systems in crisis and fragile contexts  . . . .
7.2.10 Strengthening the environmental dimension  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.3 A global partnership for universal social protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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ANNEXES
Annex I. Glossary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Annex II. Measuring social protection effective coverage,
legal coverage and expenditure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Annex III. Minimum requirements in ILO social security standards:
Overview tables  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Annex IV. Statistical tables  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Bibliography  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
International statistics and data sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430

Contents

List of boxes
1.1 Sustainable Development Goals and targets with a direct
or indirect reference to social protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2 he ILO’s normative framework for building social protection systems,
including loors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.1 International standards for child and family beneits  . . . .
2.2 Universal child beneits in Mongolia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3 Reaching universal social protection for children through
a combination of schemes: he case of Argentina  . . . . . . .
2.4 Child-sensitive social protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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3.1 International standards relevant to maternity protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2 Maternity protection: Collectively inanced schemes vs employer’s
liability provisions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.3 Extending maternity protection coverage through social insurance
in Jordan, Lao PDR, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Rwanda
and South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4 Extending maternity protection coverage through non-contributory
social assistance programmes in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Peru, Togo
and the United Republic of Tanzania  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.5 Paternity leave and parental leave: Promoting the involvement of fathers  .
3.6 Achieving universal coverage through a combination of contribution
and tax funding in Australia and Mongolia  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.7 International standards on unemployment protection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.8 Malaysia’s 1AZAM programme: An integrated approach
to poverty reduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.9 Promoting women’s empowerment through the Benazir Income
Support Programme in Pakistan  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.10 Main types of unemployment protection schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.11 Recent trends in unemployment protection: selected examples  . . . . . . . . .
3.12 Experimenting with a basic income for unemployed jobseekers . . . . . . . . .
3.13 Expanding unemployment protection in Cabo Verde, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mauritius, Morocco, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa and Viet Nam  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.14 Unemployment protection in Viet Nam  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.15 International standards relevant to employment injury protection  . . . . . .
3.16 Some recent industrial accidents in Bangladesh and Pakistan:
he Rana Plaza and the Ali Enterprises disasters and the bridging
solution for social security in cases of employment injury  . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.17 Disability beneits for income protection: Relevant international standards 
3.18 Towards universalism: Extending non-contributory disability cash
beneits in Argentina, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal,
South Africa, Timor-Leste and Ukraine  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.19 Social protection and its contribution to a virtuous cycle
towards decent work  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.20 Underestimated poverty and additional costs of living with disabilities  . .

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World Social Protection Report 2017–19: Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

4.1 International standards on old-age pensions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2 Universal social pensions in the Plurinational State of Bolivia,
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Timor-Leste and Zanzibar
(United Republic of Tanzania)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.3 Universal social protection for older persons through a mix of contributory
and non-contributory schemes: Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, China,
Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, South Africa, hailand, Trinidad and Tobago  . . . .
4.4 Monitoring pension beneit adequacy  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.5 Implicit pension debt  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.6 International social security standards and the organization
and inancing of social security systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.7 Reversing pension privatization in Hungary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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5.1 Supporting universal health coverage: ILO Conventions
and Recommendations and other international standards  . . . . . . . .
5.2 National perspectives on rural/urban gaps and inequities
in health protection: Cambodia and Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.3 LTC protection of older persons in Ghana  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4 Universal health coverage: China, Colombia, Rwanda and hailand 
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
6.7
6.8
6.9
6.10
6.11
6.12
6.13
6.14
6.15
6.16

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Africa’s commitment to extend social protection to all  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
he demographic dividend and inancing social protection in Africa  . . . .
National programme for family security in Senegal  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New social beneit for vulnerable children in Namibia  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New contributory maternity beneit in Rwanda  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New unemployment scheme in Cabo Verde  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New initiatives to strengthen employment promotion in South Africa  . . .
New Workers’ Compensation Fund in the United Republic of Tanzania  .
New universal pensions in Zanzibar (United Republic of Tanzania),
Kenya and Uganda  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-contributory pension scheme in Cabo Verde  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Northern Africa: Old-age pensions essential for social justice
ater the Arab Spring  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Extending social security in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)  . .
ASEAN’s commitment to extend social protection to all  . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ageing in Asia  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Universal pensions in China  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
he European social model, eroded by short-term adjustment reforms  . . .

7.1 Extending social protection and facilitating transition
to the formal economy: Uruguay’s monotax  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.2 Lessons from using energy subsidies for social protection systems  .
7.3 Recovering from the Ebola crisis  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7.4 A multi-stakeholder partnership for SDG 1.3  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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List of boxes (cont’d)

Contents

List of igures
1. SDG indicator 1.3.1: Efective social protection coverage,
global and regional estimates by population group (percentage)  . . . . . . . .
2. Public social protection expenditure, excluding health,
latest available year (percentage of GDP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.1 Towards comprehensive social security systems: Number of policy areas
covered in social protection programmes anchored in national legislation,
1900–2015  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2 Development of social protection programmes anchored in national
legislation by policy area, pre-1900 to post-2010 (percentage of countries) .
1.3 SDG indicator 1.3.1: Percentage of the total population covered
by at least one social protection beneit (efective coverage), 2015  . . . . . . .
Overview of child and family beneit schemes (periodic cash beneits),
by type of scheme and beneit, 2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Child and family cash beneit schemes, by type of scheme,
2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.3 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for children and families:
Percentage of children and households receiving child and family
beneits, by region, latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2.4 Public social protection expenditure (excluding health) on children
(percentage of GDP) and share of children aged 0–14 in total population
(percentage), latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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2.1

3.1 Public social protection expenditure (excluding health) on people
of working age (percentage of GDP) and share of working-age population
(15–64) in total population (percentage), latest available year  . . . . . . . .
3.2 Public social protection expenditure (excluding health) on people of
working age (percentage of GDP), by income level, latest available year . . .
3.3 Maternity cash beneit schemes, by type of scheme, 2015–16  . . . . . . . . . .
3.4 Maternity protection, legal coverage: Percentage of women in employment
protected by law in case of loss of income during maternity, 2015 or latest
available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.5 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for mothers with newborns:
Percentage of women giving birth receiving maternity cash beneits,
by region, 2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.6 Maternity protection, efective coverage: Percentage of women
in employment contributing to maternity cash beneits schemes
or otherwise entitled to such beneits, 2015 or latest available year  . . . . . .
3.7 Duration of paid maternity leave in national legislation,
2015 or latest available year (weeks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.8 Level of maternity cash beneits as a percentage of previous earnings,
2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.9 Antenatal care coverage by region, latest available year
(percentage of live births)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.10 Births attended by skilled health personnel, latest available year
(percentage)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.11 Inequities in access to maternal health-care services, by wealth quintile,
selected countries, latest available year (percentage) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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3.12 Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) and percentage
of live births attended by skilled health personnel, 2015  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.13 Overview of unemployment protection schemes, by type of scheme
and beneit, 2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.14 Unemployment protection schemes, by type of scheme,
2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.15 Unemployment protection, legal coverage: Percentage of the labour force
covered by unemployment protection schemes, latest available year . . . . . .
3.16 Unemployment beneits, legal coverage: Percentage of workers covered
by unemployment protection schemes by region, latest available year  . . . .
3.17 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for unemployed persons:
Percentage of unemployed persons receiving unemployment cash beneits,
latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.18 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for unemployed persons:
Percentage of unemployed persons receiving unemployment cash beneits,
latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.19 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for unemployed persons:
Percentage of unemployed persons receiving cash beneits (contributory
or non-contributory), latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.20 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for unemployed persons:
Percentage of unemployed persons receiving unemployment cash beneits
and share of unemployed aged 16–64 at risk of poverty,
selected European countries, 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.21 Employment injury protection schemes, by type of scheme,
latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.22 Employment injury protection, efective coverage: Active contributors
to a scheme as a percentage of the labour force, selected countries,
2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.23 Replacement rates for permanent disability in employment injury
protection schemes, selected countries, 2015 or latest available year
(percentage)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.24 Replacement rates for temporary disability in employment injury
protection schemes, selected countries, 2015 or latest available year
(percentage)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.25 Overview of disability cash beneit schemes, by type of scheme
and beneit, 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.26 Disability beneit schemes, by type of scheme, 2015 or latest available year 
3.27 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for persons with severe
disabilities: Percentage of persons with severe disabilities receiving
disability cash beneits, by region, 2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . .
3.28 Impact of adjusting for disability-related costs on measured poverty
rates, selected countries (percentage)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1 Overview of old-age pension schemes, by type of scheme and beneit,
2015 or latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2 Old-age pensions, legal coverage: Percentage of the working-age
population (15–64 years) covered by existing law under mandatory
contributory and non-contributory old-age pensions, by region
and type of scheme, latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

List of igures (cont’d)
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List of igures (cont’d)

4.3 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for older persons:
Percentage of persons above statutory pensionable age receiving a pension,
by region, latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.4 Old-age pensions, efective coverage: Active contributors to pension
schemes as a percentage of the labour force and working-age population,
by region, latest available year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.5 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for older persons:
Percentage of the population above statutory pensionable age receiving
an old-age pension, 2000 and 2010–15  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.6 SDG indicator 1.3.1 on efective coverage for older persons: Comparison
of the proportion of the population above statutory pensionable age
receiving an old-age pension, 2000 and 2010–16 (percentage)  . . . . . . . . .
4.7 Public social protection expenditure on pensions and other beneits,
excluding health, for persons above statutory pensionable age (percentage
of GDP), and share of persons ag