In 2009 a 6.5% rise in per capita social protection expenditure matched a 6.1% drop in EU-27 GDP

Based on administrative data, this document updates the analysis of EU expenditure on social protection, taking into account 2009 figures. The report presents several indicators for measuring the cost of social protection for both the EU-27 and the EA-17 (the geographical aggregate representing the group of countries using the euro as from 1 January 2011). It also includes a longitudinal analysis of the rate of change in expenditure on social protection, which highlights the effects of the economic crisis on social protection expenditure.