2025年社会保障报告_120页_2mb

State of Social Protection Report 2025: The 2-Billion-Person Challenge Summary

Overview

• Over the past decade, low- and middle-income countries have expanded social protection, covering 4.7 billion people.
• Approximately 2 billion people in these countries remain uncovered or inadequately covered, with the gap particularly pronounced in low-income countries.
• Social protection spending remains low, especially in low-income countries, though has surged during COVID-19.

Key Highlights

• Coverage: Progress has been most significant in low-income countries, but coverage is still insufficient. Women are more likely than men to receive social assistance transfers.
• Adequacy: Benefits are often low, especially in lower-income countries. Cash transfers make up the largest portion but are typically insufficient to lift people out of poverty.
• Financing: Low-income countries rely heavily on international grants, while middle-income countries have room to reallocate existing resources for better targeting.
• Shock Responsiveness: COVID-19 demonstrated the importance of adaptive systems, but many countries lack robust contingency planning and early warning mechanisms.
• Labor Market Programs: Spending remains low across all income levels, limiting their ability to address employment challenges, especially for informal workers.

Policy Action Areas

1. Extending Social Protection to Those in Need: Focus on noncontributory cash transfers and economic inclusion programs in low-income countries; expand programs in middle-income countries.
2. Strengthening Adequacy of Support: Improve targeting and generosity of benefits; gradually phase out regressive subsidies.
3. Building Shock-Proof Systems: Invest in early warning systems, dynamic registries, and contingency funds for rapid responses.
4. Optimizing Financing: Reallocate resources to prioritize poor and vulnerable populations while expanding contributory schemes.

Recommendations

• Strengthen delivery systems (digital registries, payments) for efficient and timely support.
• Integrate social protection with labor market programs to enhance employment opportunities.
• Foster international cooperation to scale innovative financing mechanisms.
• Prioritize adaptive and integrated systems to address climate change, conflict, and economic shocks.

Conclusion

Universal social protection remains a distant goal, requiring sustained investment and policy innovation. Action must be taken to ensure all individuals can access timely, effective protection in a world increasingly shaped by global challenges.