Basic Concepts and Design Characteristics of Workers’ Compensation

In 1884, Germany introduced workers’ compensation (WC) to the world. Poland enacted a WC law the same year. Czechoslovakia and Austria followed in 1887. By 1900, 11 nations had WC programs; by 1950 the number was 109 and still growing. Of the 141 countries included in the Social Security Programs Throughout the World—1987 published by the U.S. Social Security Administration (1988), all but five had some type of WC program. For 106 of the 136 countries with WC, WC was their first social insurance program. For eight of these nations, most of them located in Africa, worker’s compensation is still their only social insurance program.