From 2003 to 2007, social welfare expenditures and revenues in Croatia rose steadily, while their share in the GDP decreases yearly, say figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics. For the first time, these figures were collected and processed in accordance with the European System of Integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS)
Expenditures for social welfare amounted to HRK 44.5 billion in 2003 and to HRK 55 billion in 2007. The highest decline of their share in GDP was recorded in 2005, 0.7 per cent on the year, while social welfare revenues recorded the highest GDP share decline in 2004, 0.8 per cent on the year. Welfare entitlements accounted for 95 per cent of total expenditures, of which 75 per cent referred to illness and health care, disability and old age. In 2003, there were 1.06 million pension recipients, their number growing to 1.12 million in 2007. Retirement pensioners accounted for more than 50 per cent of all recipients, while the rest was equally divided between disability pensioners and family pensioners. The number of retirement pensioners was equally divided between women and men, while the disability pensioners men-women ratio was 2:1. However, more than 80 per cent of women were recipients of family pensions.
