Not all people work for 16 hours a day. Some people in countries enjoy unemployment and live comfortable lives. You might be surprised to hear that. Wait till you find out the country that pays citizens even when they go for a two-year sick leave.
The whole point is that some countries are more generous than others. These countries can afford to give these benefits, but they also give them to people who need them the most in their country. In this article, we decided to rank the countries based on their benefits.
How did this author rank these countries? A combination of statistical tools was used from recent online resources to arrive at the results. Find out the countries with the best government benefits:
- Best By Overall Benefits – France
- Best By Highest Population – United States Of America
- Best By Social And Welfare Benefits – Finland
- Best By Unemployment Benefits – Luxembourg
- Best By Sick Leave – Norway
- Best Countries By Pensions And Retirement – Netherlands
Best By Overall Benefits – France
When it comes to citizens’ overall benefits from a particular country, France citizens are getting the most out of it. France spends a significant portion of its GDP, although fluctuating over the years, on social services.
In 2019, they spent 31% of their GDP on social services alone. They have different benefits they offer to low-income citizens and citizens who cannot afford basic amenities.
Benefits include healthcare benefits, sickness absence benefits, maternity benefits, family benefits among other social services. Healthcare for the disabled, sick pay and maternity benefits are given through CPAM (caisse primaire d’assurance maladie) regional offices.
A Mutuelle is another health benefit channel covering non-essential health requirements, such as dental care, that are not reimbursed by the state or to a much lesser degree.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for these benefits, for the different criteria, you must meet the requirements. The sickness absence benefit, for example, you need to be signed off officially by a doctor. Family benefits apply to families with at least two children under 20 years of age.
Application to these benefits is either online or in person. Applicants for in-person applications can go to local offices like Pôle emploi offices for Unemployment benefits, CAF (caisse d’allocations familiales) for family benefits, and CPAM offices for healthcare, among several other services.
Best By Highest Population – United States Of America
For the third most populated country globally, the USA is among the forefront countries in terms of Government benefits. Americans enjoy a shaking 18% of their GDP on services for citizens. That is pretty high for such a developed, powerful country.
There are several Government benefits in the USA. A few of the government benefits available in the USA, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, commonly known as Food stamps, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, SSI, Children’s Health Insurance Program, CHIP, among several others.
Medicaid helps people with low income and resources cover the costs of healthcare. To be eligible, you have to be of low income falling below a specific wage, among other differential variables by state. Application is through online means or physical means.
Who Does The SSI Focus On?
The SSI focuses on low-income seniors, low-income adults to kids, and people with disabilities. The eligibility follows the same criteria as the focused people, though some requirements vary by state.
An application can be completed online, or a call can be placed directly to local offices, explaining the processes for application.
These benefits are just a few of the numerous benefits catering to millions of people in the United States. Overall, the United States is among the top countries that provide comprehensive benefits for its citizens.
Best By Social And Welfare Benefits – Finland
Finland is known as the world’s happiest country. Why won’t they be? One good thing the country and its citizens are proud of the Government benefits.
Finland has an excellent welfare benefit in the world. A country that gives new moms a box that fulfills basic baby care needs. Yeah, sure, they are just 5.5 million people in the country. That does not mean every country does it.
With benefits such as social insurance and income security, known as welfare with their vast subdivisions, has enough funds to help all those who need it. The benefits assist the elderly, the disabled, the retired, parents, children, pregnant women, the unemployed, and work-related injuries.
Social And Welfare Requirements
You must meet the requirements for these benefits, although they are essential requirements. Just as the wealthy would not be granted financial aid, those who need it need to prove that they fall under the category by providing necessary documents.
Application is also easy as you can fill the form online or call the customer care line for different local organizations’ benefits.
Best By Unemployment Benefits – Luxembourg
The third most prosperous country in the world and the wealthiest country in Europe, Luxembourg is a place to be. They have great social inclusion programs and have one of the world’s highest country per capita incomes. As of 2019, 22.4% of her GDP was used for social spending.
They have several benefits, including the social inclusion income, the cost-of-living subsidy (Allocation de vie chère), the contribution to the cost of services provided as part of geriatric care, payment for severely disabled people (Revenu pour personnes gravement handicapées), among others.
The social benefits consist of other aids like work illness benefits, work-related accidents, pension, basic minimum income wages, child and family benefits, etc.
To be eligible, you have to meet a laid down quota used for determining people in need of these benefits.
Unemployment Benefits Requirements
For the social inclusion income, you must be at least 25 years of age, although there are alterations to this rule, such as pregnancy or raising a child. And your income must be lower than the minimum wage. It also depends on the number of persons per household.
For the Income for severely disabled people, you must be at least 18 years old and present at least a 30% reduced ability to work because of a severe disability.
Applications for these benefits can be made online to download an application form, fill it, and send it to local offices or submit it online.
Best By Sick Leave – Norway
For sick leave, Norway can be given the title of the most generous in the world. You get paid for a genuine sick leave entirely for up to a year—a whole year of not working and receiving a complete salary, nonetheless.
The OECD reports that although with the high level of unemployment, almost 7% of the workforce population are on sick leave at any given time. Benefits include social security, health benefits, pensions, and required leave.
The required leave is divided into Sick leave, Holiday and Annual leave, and Maternity and Paternity leave. As already mentioned, workers have a right to a fully paid sick leave, and maternity leave also includes compensation.
The Maternity leave can last a maximum of 59 weeks; during the Paternity leave, 15 weeks.
Healthcare Requirements
Healthcare is one of the best in the world in Norway and is very much subsidized. Reaching a certain amount paid on health care in a year for drugs, consultation, etc., becomes accessible.
Applying for benefits is easy once you are eligible. Citizens from another country or students can also enjoy these offers from the Government once they provide necessary documents.
Best Countries By Pensions And Retirement – Netherlands
Here is the country mentioned at the start of this article. It is important to note that you will not quickly receive pension and retirement benefits in the Netherlands.
You have to provide an accurate doctor’s sick permit to be given the sick leave benefit. Regardless, you can take sick leave for up to two years and still receive 70 percent of your salary in the Netherlands.
The bicycle capital of the world, the Netherlands, is the country with the best benefits for pension and the retired. With the highest pension score index in the world for 2020, 81, the Netherlands has another thing to brag about.
The income is calculated by criteria like the number of years worked and lifetime average.
Other Benefits And Allowances
Other essential benefits and allowances include the healthcare allowance (Zorgtoeslag), the rent benefit (Huurtoeslag), child benefits, and unemployment benefits (WW uitkering).
No strict requirements are necessary to enjoy these benefits. They are meant to help with different costs and improve the living of citizens.
The child benefits, for example. It helps to cover the costs of raising children in general, including children’s clothing, food, and school expenses, among other needs. Applying to these benefits is mainly done online and is simple to process. Guides are also provided to help with the application process.
Conclusion
There are tons of Government benefits from all countries all over the world. These benefits vary by the impact they play on their citizens. How much it helps them, the specifications of each benefit, and how to apply for them.
This article discussed 6 top countries in different categories by how great their benefits are and how well it has improved its welfare.