ILO REPORT 2024–26
For the first time in history, 52.4% of the global population has access to at least one social protection benefit. Yet 3.8 billion people remain entirely unprotected, and universal coverage won't arrive until 2073 at the current rate.
The Coverage Landscape in 2023 — income groups, social protection branches, and the widening chasm between the protected and the unprotected.
Share of population covered by at least one social protection benefit
| Income Group | Coverage | Uncovered Population | Visual |
|---|
Divergent trajectories across regions — from mature systems to crisis territory.
| Region / Group | 2015 | 2023 | Change | Status |
|---|
80.9% of Africa's 1.4 billion people have no social protection whatsoever. Sub-Saharan Africa fares worst at just 15.4% coverage. Given climate shocks, demographic youth bulge, and informal labor dominance, this deficit represents an existential risk to continental stability.