The 27 EU Member States spent €301 billion altogether on family benefits in 2017 (2.3% of EU GDP), Eurostat data shows.
This represented 8.6% of the total spent on social protection benefits.
The share of social protection expenditure on family benefits varied significantly between EU Member States. It accounted for more than 15% of total social benefits only in Luxembourg (15.3%), followed by Poland (13.4%) and Estonia (13.1%).
The lowest shares were registered in the Netherlands (4.2%) and Portugal (4.9%).
The annual family benefits expenditure per inhabitant, highest in Luxembourg, lowest in Romania
The annual family benefits expenditure per inhabitant was also highest in Luxembourg (€3,100 per inhabitant), followed by Denmark (€1,700), Sweden (€1,400), Germany (€1,300) and Finland (€1,200).
Eurostat noted that the value is overestimated for Luxembourg compared with other countries, as a significant proportion of benefits are paid to persons living outside the country.
In 2017, three countries had family benefits expenditure below €200 per inhabitant: Romania (€100), Bulgaria (€130) and Lithuania (€180).