The European Social Services Index (ESSI) is an initiative launched by the European Social Network in 2023 to better understand and compare the situation of social services in different EU Member States.

Each year, with the support of our ESSI Working Group, we gather national data and develop country-specific factsheets focused on three pillars:

• Social services legislation.
• Social services expenditure.
• Social services coverage.

Furthermore, we compare this data across Europe and present our observations and consequent recommendations at both national and EU levels in a dedicated report.

The ESSI provides evidence for the European Commission within the framework of the European Semester – an annual review of national economic, social, and budgetary policies aimed at identifying socio-economic challenges in EU Member States and formulating proposals on how they could address these. Through the ESSI, we ensure that the European Commission fully knows the situation of social services and that its recommendations to national governments meet social services’ needs. 

Through the interactive map below, you can explore our findings by year and country.

At the following links, you can view and download each year’s cross-country analysis:

• 2023 (10 countries)
• 2024 (13 countries)
• 2025 (16 countries)