Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

The UAE in 2018 spent Dhs65.74 billion on social benefits, which was equivalent to 16.8 per cent of the total government spending in that year.

The statistics from the Ministry of Finance, also show that spending on social benefits increased last year by Dhs10.535 billion, an annual rise of 7.7 per cent compared to the same quarter of 2017.

In the second quarter of 2018, spending on social benefits reached Dhs22.168 billion compared to Dhs10 billion during the same period in the previous year, an increase of 121 per cent.

In the third quarter of 2018, spending on social benefits reached Dhs14.77 billion, an increase of 43.4 per cent compared to 2017 while during the last quarter of the same year, spending amounted to Dhs18.273 billion, a 67 per cent increase.

These figures highlight the importance of social development to the agendas of the federal government and local governments, in line with the UAE Vision 2021 and the country’s strategic plans.

The UAE Vision 2021 aims to make the country among the world’s best countries by the golden jubilee of its establishment. To achieve this goal, the vision is divided into six national pillars representing key sectors.

WAM