(Finance) – Compared to the European averageItaly allocates an important share of the GDP to social protection (34.3% against 31.7% of the EU average), even if expenditure in per capita terms (9,316 euros in 2020) is slightly lower than the European figure (9,536 euros). This was noted by Istat in the report ‘The expenditure of municipalities for social services. Year 2020’.
In particular, the resources for the disabled are lower than the EU average (476 euros per year, against 669), as are those for families and minors (339 euros per year, against 753),” highlighting a lack of services, for example of a social -welfare and socio-educational”, reads the text.
In general, in Italy, cash benefits absorb a larger share of social protection expenditure than the European average, to the detriment of expenditure on care services (77.3% cash benefits, against 66% on average at European level, 65% in France, 61.7% in Germany).
“For the ‘old age’ function – continues the text – where social security expenditure is predominant, Italy allocates public expenditure higher than the European average and in line with other countries, such as France and the Netherlands (4,200 euros per capita the year)”. To the South per capita spending on territorial welfare (66 euros) is half the national average (132 euros) and just over a third of that of the North-East (184 euros).