Government; social benefits

This table contains information on social benefits provided by general government. The terms and definitions used for the totals are in accordance with the framework of National Accounts. National Accounts are based on the international definitions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). Small temporary differences with publications of the National Accounts may occur due to the fact that government finance statistics are sometimes more up to date. The terms used for the individual social benefits are based on national legislation. Social benefits by employers in the context of other employment related social insurance schemes are not included in this table.

Data available from: Yearly figures from 1995.

Status of the figures: The figures for the years 1995-2024 are final. The figures for 2025 are provisional.

Changes as of 2 July 2026: Annual figures for year 2025 are available. The annual figures for year 2024 are now final due to updated source data. In the context of the revision policy of the national accounts, annual figures for the time series have been revised to resolve inaccuracies. This has led to the following improvements for the social benefits:

• Student grants (a component of student finance) are now based on a detailed trial balance of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) for years 2016-2025.
• For the Youth Act (Jeugdwet) and the Social Support Act (Wmo), the social benefits have been recalibrated for years 2017-2025. Due to changes in the structure of the source data (informatie voor derden, Iv3), it has become more difficult to determine the social benefits related to these acts. The size of these social benefits has been redetermined using supplementary data provided by the municipalities.
• Cross-border health care (a component of the Health Care Insurance Act) is now recorded on accrual basis for all years of the time series, using supplementary data provided by National Health Care Institute (ZIN). Previously, cross-border health care was recorded based on the time of payment.

When will new figures be published? Yearly figures are published six months after the end of the year concerned. These yearly figures are revised eighteen months after the end of the year concerned. Please note that there is a possibility that adjustments might take place at the end of March or September, in order to provide the European Commission with the most actual figures. More information on the revision policy of National Accounts can be found under 'relevant articles' under paragraph 3.