World Bank's 2025 Report Highlight that 2 Billion People in Low and Middle-Income Countries Still Without Adequate Social Protection.
International
In April 2025, the Washington, D.C. (United States of America)-based World Bank (WB) released its report titled “State of Social Protection Report 2025: The 2-Billion-Person Challenge.” The report highlights significant global disparities in social protection and emphasizes the urgent need for reform, especially in Low-Income Countries (LICs) and Middle-Income Countries (MICs).
- According to the report, nearly three out of four people in LICs had no access to social protection services as of 2022. Overall, around two billion people in LICs and MICs were found to lack adequate social protection.
- The report reveals gender disparities in the distribution of social protection benefits. In a sample of 27 countries, women received only 81 cents for every USD 1 received by men, highlighting a major gender gap in benefit allocation.
Main Point :- (i) The report was prepared by the ASPIRE team (Atlas of Social Protection Indicators of Resilience and Equity) of the World Bank, in collaboration with departments focused on social safety nets, labour, skills development, and pensions.
(ii) An analysis covering 73 countries, including LICs, MICs, and High-Income Countries (HICs), showed that between 2010 and 2022, social protection coverage increased by 10 percentage points, rising from 41% to 51% of the population.
(iii) Over the past decade, social protection systems in LICs and MICs have expanded to cover approximately 4.7 billion people—equivalent to three out of every four individuals. However, 1.6 billion people still remain uncovered, underscoring the massive gap that still needs to be addressed.
About World Bank
CFO: Anshula Kant
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
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