April 7, 2025 – The World Bank released a report that documents advances and challenges to strengthening social protection and labor systems across low- and middle-income countries and discusses avenues to gradually close the coverage and adequacy gap for the world’s poorest.
It shows over the last decade, 4.7 billion people across low- and middle-income countries gained access to social protection. However, critical gaps remain. Two billion people in those countries remain uncovered or inadequately covered by social protection.
To accelerate progress, the report includes three policy actions that governments can take, tailored to each country’s context, capacity, and fiscal restraints:
- Expand coverage by investing limited resources, particularly in low-income countries, in infrastructure such as databases, digital payments, and case management systems to effectively support those in need.
- Tailor support to help people, especially in middle-income countries, move beyond survival toward self-reliance.
- Build shock-responsive systems by strengthening data, payments, and early warning tools to provide timely support and employment stability during crises.
To help fund these recommendations, the report notes that using existing resources more efficiently could make a big difference.
The full report is available in English. The executive summary is available in English, Chinese, and French. There is also a video of the launch event and a press release.