India has made significant strides in social security coverage, as highlighted in the International Labour Organization’s World Social Protection Report 2024-26. The report reveals that the country’s social protection coverage has doubled from 24.4% in 2021 to 48.8% in 2024, translating to 920 million people being covered under at least one social protection scheme. This extraordinary progress underscores India’s commitment to expanding financial security and welfare support across its population, particularly among vulnerable groups.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment attributes this progress to transformative initiatives and policies that have strengthened India’s social protection landscape. The growth in coverage has contributed to a 5-percentage point increase in global social protection statistics, establishing India as a significant player in international welfare efforts.
The World Social Protection Report, published periodically by the ILO, provides a global assessment of social protection systems, examining their effectiveness in ensuring economic security and access to essential services. The 2024-26 edition of the report focuses on universal social protection for climate action and equitable transitions. It includes global, regional, and country-specific data on social protection coverage, benefits, and public expenditure. A complementary regional report for Asia and the Pacific delves deeper into the unique socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by countries in the region, offering additional insights into the nexus of social protection and climate action.
India’s expansion of social security has been achieved through a wide array of welfare programs aimed at providing healthcare, food assistance, employment security, and financial support. The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has emerged as a cornerstone of this effort, with 399.4 million Ayushman Cards issued to date. Under this initiative, families receive free health coverage of up to $6,000 per year, with access to healthcare at 24,810 empanelled hospitals nationwide.
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to alleviate economic hardships, has ensured the distribution of free food grains to approximately 806.7 million people as of December 2024. The scheme continues to bridge critical gaps in food security and stands as a testament to India’s commitment to addressing hunger among its population.
The eShram portal, another significant initiative, was launched in 2021 to register unorganized workers and enhance their access to social security benefits. By March 2025, over 306.8 million workers, including a majority of women, have enrolled in this database, receiving unique Universal Account Numbers to facilitate welfare delivery.
Additionally, the Atal Pension Yojana, introduced to provide retirement security for unorganized sector workers, has garnered 72.5 million beneficiaries as of December 2024, with a cumulative corpus of $5.2 billion. This initiative, alongside other schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, further strengthens the country’s social protection framework.
India has also launched the Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise to consolidate data from 34 major central government schemes, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization. Using encrypted Aadhaar as a unique identifier, over 20 billion records have already been processed, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of welfare coverage and addressing data fragmentation. Phase one of this initiative includes ten states, with efforts underway to incorporate additional schemes and provide a more accurate assessment of India’s social protection reach.
While the ILO report highlights India’s achievements, the Ministry of Labour and Employment noted that its findings do not account for in-kind benefits such as housing and food support provided through state and central government schemes. The ministry is actively engaging with the ILO to ensure future evaluations include these critical aspects, reflecting the full scope of India’s welfare measures.
India’s progress in social protection has also contributed significantly to poverty reduction, with 248 million people escaping multi-dimensional poverty over the past decade. These efforts underline the transformative impact of targeted interventions and data-driven policymaking in enhancing livelihoods and fostering inclusive economic growth.
During a bilateral dialogue at the ILO Governing Body meeting in Geneva, the organization acknowledged the importance of integrating housing and food security into future assessments of social protection. This agreement represents a step forward in ensuring comprehensive global evaluations that capture the diverse dimensions of welfare.
India’s achievements in social security expansion serve as a global example of how dedicated policies, robust data systems, and international collaboration can drive meaningful progress. With its ongoing initiatives and reforms, the nation continues to lead efforts in building an inclusive and equitable social protection framework for its citizens.
