DREM updates the Time Series on Social Protection with 2025 data

The Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira (DREM) today publishes, on its website, the Time Series on Social Protection, updated with information for 2025. The interactive Social Protection dashboard is also updated at the same time.

1. Social Security – Number of sickness benefit recipients continued to grow, while the number of unemployment benefit recipients continued to fall

1.1. Pensioners

At the end of 2025, there were 67.4 thousand active Social Security pensioners in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (ARM), corresponding to 25.3% of the resident population. Of this total, 63.8% received old-age pensions, 26.2% survivors’ pensions and 10.1% disability pensions.

Compared with 2024, the number of pensioners increased by 1.1%, as a result of growth in the number of pensioners receiving old-age pensions (+1.4%) and disability pensions (+1.9%). However, there was a slight decrease in the number of recipients of survivors’ pensions (-0.1%).

The average annual value of Social Security pensions in 2025 reached 7 135 euros. The average annual old-age pension recorded the highest value (8 510 euros), exceeding the average annual values of disability pensions (6 833 euros) and survivors’ pensions (3 898 euros).

Compared with the previous year, the average annual value of pensions increased by 5.0%, with rises of 5.2% in disability pensions, 4.9% in old-age pensions and 4.5% in survivors’ pensions.

In 2025, the amounts processed for the above-mentioned social benefits totalled 481.2 million euros. Of this amount, 76.1% corresponded to old-age pensions (366.1 million euros), 14.3% to survivors’ pensions (68.8 million euros) and 9.6% to disability pensions (46.3 million euros). For these pensions, and compared with 2024, the amounts processed increased by 7.2% for disability pensions, 6.4% for old-age pensions and 4.4% for survivors’ pensions.

1.2. Unemployment benefits

In the reference year, 6.0 thousand persons received unemployment benefits, 6.5% fewer than in the previous year. Of these, 47.5% had not received this benefit in 2024. By sex, 43.2% of recipients were male and 56.8% were female. By age, the group with the fewest recipients was young persons (under 25 years old), accounting for 6.6% of the total. The group with the most recipients was persons aged 55 and over, with 30.4%, followed by the groups aged 30 to 39 (21.4%) and 40 to 49 (18.8%).

The average duration of unemployment benefit payment was 176 days, slightly higher than in 2024 (174 days), while the average value of this benefit reached 3 674 euros (+9.9% compared with the previous year).

1.3. Family benefits

Regarding the main Social Security family benefits, in 2025 there was a decrease in the number of recipients of child benefit for children and young persons (-1.4%), as well as in the number of recipients of the initial parental allowance (-0.6%).

As for the social inclusion income, 3.2 thousand persons received this social benefit (-21.3% compared with 2024), of whom 47.5% were male. By age group, 36.5% of recipients were persons aged 55 and over and 30.0% were persons under 25. The amount processed for this social benefit was 4.9 million euros, a decrease of 20.4% compared with 2024.

In 2025, 16.4 million euros were processed for the 3 741 recipients of the social inclusion benefit (-19.6% and -21.7% compared with the previous year, respectively). The age group of 55 and over recorded the highest number of recipients (1 132; 30.3% of the total), followed by the groups aged 40 to 49 (764; 20.4%) and 30 to 39 (573; 15.3%).

1.4. Sickness benefits

Between 2024 and 2025, the number of sickness benefit recipients increased by 9.4%, totalling around 21.8 thousand persons in the latter year. The average number of days processed for these benefits reached 68 days in 2025, a decrease of 3 days compared with the previous year. The amounts processed stood at 38.9 million euros, an increase of 11.2% compared with 2024.

2. Caixa Geral de Aposentações – Number of pensioners increased

Regarding the Caixa Geral de Aposentações, at the end of 2025 the number of pensioners of this system in the ARM totalled 15 021 (463 more pensioners than in 2024), of whom 73.0% were old-age and disability pensioners and 27.0% were survivors’ pensioners.

For more information, please click on:

• Dashboard (Portuguese only)
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