Well-filled social funds

Economic high: 16 billion euros surplus in social security

12/04/2013

Last year, above all, the good situation on the German social security labor market resulted in a surplus in the billions. The income from pension, health and long-term care insurance and the employment agency increased by 1.9 billion euros, while spending increased at the same time less strong.

2012: 536.5 billion euros in social funds
The positive development on the job market played the German social security a surplus of 15.8 billion euros in the coffers, as the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) announced in Wiesbaden on Friday. „Social security revenues totaled 536.5 billion euros in 2012. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 2.0 percent“, said in a statement by Destatis. In contrast, spending had increased less sharply and was 1.7 percent above the 2011 level.

In Germany, social insurance includes statutory health insurance, statutory accident insurance, pension insurance and miners' pension insurance, old-age insurance for farmers, social long-term care insurance and the Federal Employment Agency. „In 2012, all areas of social security reported surpluses, mainly due to positive wage and employment developments“, so Destatis.

Positive labor market development provided billions in surplus
Income from pension insurance, which accounted for more than two-thirds of premium income, increased by 1.9 per cent to € 258.8 billion in 2012. In contrast, expenditure of 254 billion euros. Overall, a financing surplus of 4.8 billion euros was achieved.

The statutory health insurance, whose allocations mainly consist of the health fund, posted an increase in revenue of 2.3 percent to 194.3 billion euros last year. Their expenditure amounted to 185,8 billion euro. This resulted in a financing surplus of 8.5 billion euros for the past year. In the previous year, the surplus amounted to 9.3 billion euros.

The revenue of the Federal Employment Agency declined by 0.3 percent to 37.6 billion euros despite the increase in contributory employment. As Destatis reports, the lower federal participation has made itself felt. On the other hand, there was a significant decline in expenditure by the Federal Employment Agency by 7.1 percent to 35.0 billion euros in the past year. This resulted in a financial surplus of 2.6 billion euros.

The social long-term care insurance was able to record revenues of 23.0 billion euros in 2012, an increase of 3.6 percent. At the same time, spending rose by 4.6 per cent to 22.9 billion euros compared to the previous year. The financing surplus of social long-term care insurance thus fell by 0.2 to 0.1 billion euros compared to 2011. (Sb)

Picture credits: Uwe Schlick