Total expenditure on social protection benefits across the European Union amounted to €4.6 trillion in 2023, with Cyprus demonstrating a clear preference for direct cash payments within its €6.09 billion system , according to Eurostat.
The statistical office reported that almost half of the EU’s total social protection expenditure (46.9 per cent ) was allocated to old age and survivors’ functions , which are largely composed of pensions.
The sickness
