Social protection
People sometimes need extra support to better cope with difficulties related to job loss, unexpected illness, or reaching retirement age.
Social protection helps the underprivileged and more vulnerable members of society to cope, through public and private financial assistance and support services related to job search, health care and daily living.
The state organises social protection through social insurance and social welfare. Social insurance provides a person at least a minimum income in the event of loss of employment, illness, birth of a child, incapacity for work and old age. Social welfare is aimed at improving the living standards of the most vulnerable members of society and preventing poverty. Social protection measures help people get their lives back on track. For example, in the event of job loss, temporary financial support together with comprehensive counselling is offered, so that the person could quickly find a new suitable job.
Social protection statistics provide an overview of the underprivileged and vulnerable groups of society and of their standard of living.
Among other things, the statistics show:
- how many pensioners there are in Estonia;
- the size of the average pension;
- the proportion of the population who have valid health insurance;
- how many people in Estonia need social welfare services;
- how many children are without parental care;
- how many people receive the unemployment insurance benefit.
Social protection statistics help to assess and plan social protection measures.