India Achieves Significant Growth in Social Security Coverage
Historic Milestone in Social Security
Geneva, June 11: India has reached a remarkable achievement, witnessing a 45 percentage point increase in social security coverage over the past decade, now encompassing 940 million individuals. This advancement has positioned India as the second-highest ranked country on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) dashboard.
Recent data from the ILO indicates that India's social security coverage has escalated from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, marking an extraordinary rise of 45 percentage points within ten years.
The ILO has recognized this accomplishment, confirming that over 940 million people in India are now beneficiaries of at least one form of social protection.
The Director General of the ILO commended India's targeted welfare initiatives aimed at the underprivileged and labor sectors under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The ILO evaluates schemes based on criteria such as legislative backing, active cash benefits, and the provision of verified time series data for the past three years.
During a bilateral meeting with ILO Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo at the International Labour Conference (ILC), India's Labour and Employment Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, emphasized the pro-poor and labor welfare initiatives implemented by the Modi administration over the last eleven years.
Mandaviya also informed the ILO DG about the national Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise conducted in partnership with the ILO.
He stated, “This outstanding achievement reflects the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government's unwavering commitment to creating an inclusive social protection framework. This increase signifies the fastest growth in social protection coverage globally, demonstrating our dedication to 'Antyodaya', which aims to uplift the most marginalized and ensure no one is left behind.”
The current statistics represent only the first phase of the data pooling initiative, which concentrated on beneficiary data from central sector and women-centric schemes across eight selected states. With the second phase and further consolidation in progress, it is anticipated that India's total social protection coverage will exceed 100 million once additional schemes are verified by the ILO.
India is also the first nation to update its 2025 social protection coverage data in the ILOSTAT database, showcasing its leadership in digital governance and transparency in welfare systems.
Furthermore, the enhancement in social protection coverage is expected to strengthen India's international relations, particularly in establishing Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with developed countries.
These agreements will facilitate the portability of social protection benefits for Indian professionals abroad while providing partner nations with the necessary transparency for mutual recognition frameworks. This will enhance India's standing in trade and labor mobility discussions by demonstrating a credible and robust social protection system.
Mandaviya is leading an Indian delegation to Geneva, Switzerland, from June 10 to 12, 2025, to attend the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO.