The ESCWA report Annual Digest of Social Protection Reforms in the Arab Region, 2025 is the fourth edition of a series monitoring publicly announced reforms across all 22 Arab countries. It reviews changes in social insurance, social assistance, labour-market policies, subsidies and national protection systems, with particular attention to sustainable financing, economic inclusion, shock response and institutional reform.
Key insights:
The report documented 183 social protection developments, up from 135 in 2024 and the highest number recorded since the series began. Social insurance accounted for 43% and social assistance for 42%, while system-level reforms increased to 9% (Figure 3, page 20).
Poverty and social exclusion remained the leading focus, representing 23% of developments, followed by old-age protection at 13%. Social health protection increased from 7% in 2024 to 11% in 2025, while disability-related reforms represented 10% (Figure 5, pages 22–23).
Reform efforts increasingly focused on refining existing systems. Design changes accounted for 40% of developments, compared with 32% in 2024, while new programmes and funds declined from 16% to 8%. This suggests a shift from launching programmes towards consolidating eligibility, benefits and implementation arrangements.
Shock-related measures declined from 38% of developments in 2022 to 14% in 2025. However, half of the 26 measures recorded in 2025 were permanent, compared with only 18% in 2024. Shock-related reforms represented 48% of developments in low-income countries but only 6% in high- and upper-middle-income countries (Figures 12–13, page 28).
Country reforms included Egypt’s unified Social Security Law and measures to include informal workers; Jordan’s National Social Protection Strategy 2025–2033; Mauritania’s ten-year strategy; and reforms or strategies in Iraq, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic. Morocco continued consolidating health insurance and cash assistance, while Lebanon expanded AMAN and transferred financing of the National Disability Allowance to the national budget.
Financing and technology remained important. Lebanon recorded eight reforms linked to financial sustainability, followed by Morocco with six and Jordan and the Sudan with five each. One fifth of all developments involved technology, including social registries, digital registration, automated contribution systems and online benefit services (Figures 14–15, pages 29–30).
