According to Kati Kümnik, director of the Benefits Department at the SKA, some three quarters of all benefits paid went toward pension payments.

"The sum being paid out for pensions has increased from year to year," Kümnik said, adding that as a result of the annual indexing of pensions, the percentage of payouts going toward pension payments has increased as well.

Pension payments account for the largest percentage of benefits in Ida-Viru County, where pensions account for 82 percent of all payouts. Pensions account for the smallest percentage of benefits in Tartu County, where they account for 68 percent of all payouts.

Last year, €570 million in family benefits were paid out to more than 168,000 families. The number of families to receive benefits increased by approximately 8,000 on year, while the amount paid out in family benefits increased by €40 million.

Disability benefits accounted for 3 percent of all payouts last year, when 157,000 people received a total of €69 million in support.

The highest number of benefit and support recipients is in Harju County, which account for more than one third of all payouts — more than €1.04 billion in 2019. Harju County is followed by Ida-Viru County with more than €286 million, and Tartu County with more than €277 million. Hiiu County, the Estonian county with the smallest population, received benefit and support payouts totaling more than €18 million.

In addition to the aforementioned support and benefits, the SKA also pays out damages to victims of violent crimes, support to those with occupational diseases or victims of occupational accidents, support to the repressed and nuclear disaster liquidators, Olympic winner support, as well as social support to those moving back to Estonia.

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