At the end of December 2024, 406 thousand people below retirement age received a general welfare benefit. That is 6 thousand more than a year earlier, an increase of over 1 percent. Especially among men, the number of welfare recipients increased by 5 thousand people. This is according to new, preliminary figures from CBS.

The fourth quarter of 2024 marks the sixth consecutive quarter that there were more welfare recipients than in the same quarter a year earlier. Previously, the number of welfare recipients was smaller compared to a year earlier for nine consecutive quarters. Over the past ten years, the number of people receiving a welfare benefit has decreased by 28 thousand, a decrease of 6 percent. During the same period, the potential labor force from age 15 to retirement age has grown by 907 thousand people, an increase of 8 percent.