Social insurance is becoming increasingly important in the economic and social life of many countries. In several the expenditure on insurance benefits has been estimated to be over 10% of the national income. About forty-five nations now have insurance schemes in which the state plays a part, and about seventy have compulsory private or state ‘workmen's compensation’ insurance. Others have assistance schemes. There is continual expansion in the number of countries operating schemes and in the scope of these schemes.

In this paper a summary is given of the types of benefit commonly found, and the methods used to assess contributions, and financial systems in use, are then discussed. Although Great Britain was one of the pioneers of social insurance, very few schemes have been modelled on ours and it is instructive to examine the differences.