Social protection in Europe: what they buy and who supplies them
Buyers declaring "Social protection" as their main activity, across the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
In proportion
General government spending on goods, services and investment for social protection in the EU-27 came to €369 billion in 2024 (Eurostat, COFOG). How much of it reaches suppliers through tenders depends on how the country organises the sector — for example whether statutory health insurance is classified in government.
Source: Eurostat, government finance statistics (gov_10a_main, gov_10a_exp) and GDP (nama_10_gdp), retrieved 9 November 2026.
The market in numbers
Public supply contracts in Europe: award notices published on TED from 2023-11 to 2026-11, by publication year.
- Contracts awarded
- 23.7K
- in 3.7K award notices
- Awarded value
- €5.2B
- from 59% of awards with a published value
- Suppliers
- 3.3K
- with at least one award
- Public buyers
- 792
- in this sector
Table view
| Nov–Dec 2023 | 328 |
| 2024 | 7,636 |
| 2025 | 7,309 |
| 2026 | 8,382 |
Table view
| Nov–Dec 2023 | €33.5M |
| 2024 | €541.5M |
| 2025 | €650.1M |
| 2026 | €4B |
- Dairy products1,925
- Medical equipments1,146
- Other9,507
Table view
| Food, beverages, tobacco and related products | 4,316 |
| Miscellaneous food products | 4,178 |
| Animal products, meat and meat products | 3,305 |
| Pharmaceutical products | 2,270 |
| Fruit, vegetables and related products | 1,951 |
| Dairy products | 1,925 |
| Cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and nuts | 1,416 |
| Medical equipments | 1,146 |
| Other | 9,507 |
- Romania12,584345 companies
- Slovenia3,268176 companies
- Spain1,361540 companies
- Portugal1,103227 companies
- Hungary928107 companies
- Germany885474 companies
- France494295 companies
- Belgium432159 companies
- Austria369138 companies
- Slovakia31668 companies
Table view
| Romania | 12,584 |
| Slovenia | 3,268 |
| Spain | 1,361 |
| Portugal | 1,103 |
| Hungary | 928 |
| Germany | 885 |
| France | 494 |
| Belgium | 432 |
| Austria | 369 |
| Slovakia | 316 |
- Large companies
- Medium-sized
- Small
- Micro
- SME (size not stated)
- Size not stated
Table view
| Large companies | 3,251 · 13.7% |
| Medium-sized | 5,743 · 24.3% |
| Small | 4,577 · 19.3% |
| Micro | 173 · 0.7% |
| SME (size not stated) | 4,189 · 17.7% |
| Size not stated | 5,722 · 24.2% |
- Spain22
- Lithuania17
- Germany14
- Denmark10
- Romania5
- Austria5
Table view
| Spain | 22 |
| Lithuania | 17 |
| Germany | 14 |
| Denmark | 10 |
| Romania | 5 |
| Austria | 5 |
Awards to companies registered in the buyer's own country
99.6%
100 awards went to companies registered elsewhere.
Share of the 5 biggest winners
8.8%
Of all awards; a high share means a concentrated market.
Lots with a single bid
21.5%
Among 20.1K awards whose notice states the number of tenders.
How we count: one award per procedure, lot and winning company, from live contract award notices; a joint procurement counts on every buyer's market. Values are the awarded amounts published in the notice (framework ceilings and estimates are never added), converted to euro at the ECB yearly average. Company size is the SME flag of the notice (eForms BT-165). Read the methodology.
Questions
- What do social protection in Europe buy through public tenders?
- Mostly food, beverages, tobacco and related products (4,316 awards), miscellaneous food products (4,178 awards), animal products, meat and meat products (3,305 awards) — 23,655 supply contracts in total since November 2023.
- How much is it worth?
- The 13,941 awards with a published value add up to €5.2B; the rest are framework ceilings or undisclosed amounts, which we never add.
All sectors in Europe · Europe by product category
Source: contract award notices on TED — Tenders Electronic Daily (ted.europa.eu), © European Union, published since November 2023; processed by Cresques. Numbers updated 2026-11-13.