A good complement to the number of recipients of social benefits is the number of individuals belonging to population groups that are close to the target of social benefits. The database SOCR includes a number of series providing these reference populations. For example: old-age pensions are...

The OECD’s Social Benefit Recipients Database (SOCR) provides a unique source of comparable information on the number of people receiving cash benefits across countries. SOCR includes data for the main income replacement programmes in the unemployment, social assistance, disability and old-age...

Like other Nordic countries Norway has been investing heavily in family policy to enable combining work and family life. Nevertheless, between 2009 and 2022 the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Norway dropped from 2 children to 1.4 children per woman. What is happening, and why? Can Norwegian...

Finding a suitable work/family life balance is a challenge that all parents face. Some people would like to have (more) children, but do not see how they could match that commitment with their employment situation. Other parents are happy with the number of children in their family, but would...

Reconciling work and family life involves two key goals for both individuals and society: being able to work, to earn an income while participating in the most important social activity of modern life, and providing the best care and nurturing for one’s own children. This first OECD review of...