Poland recorded the highest rise in social spending of any member state between 2012 and 2017, according to Eurostat data, with social spending as a proportion of GDP rising 1.2 percent between 2012 and 2017.
According to Eurostat, social spending accounts for 26.8 percent of the EU’s GDP. Social spending is defined as expenditures related to pensions, benefits, social services, and housing subsidies.
In Poland, social spending, adjusted for purchasing power, has risen by 24.7 percent between 2012 and 2017. It rose faster in countries such as Bulgaria (30.8 percent), Romania (26.8 percent) and Estonia (29.2 percent).
But in relation to GDP, Poland’s rise was the fastest at 1.2 percent, with only Estonia’s 1.1 percent increase even coming close.
In the majority of EU states, the value of social spending in relation to GDP is actually falling. The biggest fall was recorded in Ireland with an 8.5 percent decrease.
But despite the increase in Polish social spending in relation to GDP, its amount is still considerably lower than in other European states. In Poland, social spending amounts to 19.6 percent of all spending in the country, whereas in France, Denmark and Finland it is above 30 percent.
