Nestled in the Indian Ocean, the Union of the Comoros is a small island nation with a population of under one million. Despite its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, Comoros faces significant socioeconomic challenges. One of the most pressing is the development of a robust social security infrastructure—a critical component for national development that remains underdeveloped and largely inaccessible to the most vulnerable (World Bank, 2023).

This blog explores the current state of Comoros’ social security system, the institutions involved, the types of schemes and benefits offered, how contributions and benefits are calculated, and how a modern digital platform like Interact SSAS can offer a transformative path forward.

What Is Social Security and Why It Matters

Social security encompasses a range of government programs designed to provide financial support and services to individuals during times of need such as retirement, unemployment, illness, disability, or workplace injury. Globally, effective social security systems help reduce poverty, enhance public health, and support economic stability (ILO, 2024).

For emerging economies like Comoros, an inclusive social protection system is critical for national cohesion and long-term growth. However, Comoros’ system is currently fragmented and under-resourced (DevelopmentAid, 2024).

Overview of Institutions and Coverage

The social security ecosystem in Comoros involves multiple organizations:

• Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale (CNPS): Manages social insurance for formal private sector and parastatal workers.
• Ministry of Health, Solidarity, Social Protection, and Gender Promotion: Oversees national social policy and manages programs for vulnerable populations, including informal sector initiatives (DevelopmentAid, 2024).
• Caisse de Retraites des Comores – manages contributions and pensions for public sector and private sector employees
• Military and Police Pension Programs: Operated under the Ministry of Defense and internal security, managing benefits for armed forces and law enforcement officers.

Each institution targets specific worker segments and offers varying levels of benefit coverage and administrative processes (Globalization Partners, 2025).

• Minimum Wage & Contributions

Minimum Wage: KMF 55,000/month (unchanged since 2014; no 2025 increase confirmed).

Social security contributions are calculated based on gross salary and vary by employment category. The current structure is:

CNPS (Private Sector)

• Employer:
  • 4% for old age, disability, and death
  • 5% for family allowances
  • 1% for occupational injury

• Employee:
  • 5% for old age, disability, and death (Globalization Partners, 2025)

Civil Servants

• Contributions and benefits handled under the state pension scheme of the Caisse de Retraites des Comoros. The government contributes directly from the national budget, and rates vary depending on grade and tenure (World Bank, 2023).

Military and Police

• Contribution schemes and benefit formulas are generally confidential and administered internally through the Ministries of Defense and Interior. These are often non-contributory or partially funded from defense budgets.

Types of Benefits Offered

The range of benefits in Comoros’ system includes:

• Old Age Pensions: For private and public employees upon reaching retirement age. Based on years of contributions and average earnings over the highest-earning periods. Typically calculated as a percentage of average salary, subject to minimum and maximum thresholds (ILO, 2024).
• Disability Pensions: For individuals no longer able to work due to health or injury.
• Survivor Benefits: For family members of deceased contributors.

Disability and Survivors’ Benefits: Calculated using a base salary reference and adjusted by degree of disability or number of dependents.

• Family Allowances: Typically offered for dependent children of salaried employees. : A flat monthly amount per child, financed entirely by employer contributions.
• Work Injury Benefits: Compensation and medical support for workplace-related injuries or accidents. Compensations include full medical coverage and wage replacement. Permanent disability is compensated using a fixed percentage of salary tied to severity (Globalization Partners, 2025).
• Medical Benefits: Limited and generally linked to other government-funded health programs (Globalization Partners, 2025).

Benefit Calculations

Benefit amounts vary by program and are generally calculated based on the individual’s salary, years of contribution, and the specific rules applied to each benefit scheme. Below are the main benefit types provided by Comoros’ social security system, including illustrative examples:

1. Old Age Pension:

• Eligibility: Typically granted at age 60 with a minimum contribution period of 15 years.
• Calculation: A percentage of the average salary of the last 5 working years multiplied by the total number of years contributed.
• Example: A worker who earned an average of KMF 200,000 per month over the last five years and contributed for 30 years might receive 2% per year of service: 30 x 2% = 60%. Pension = 60% x KMF 200,000 = KMF 120,000/month.

Here is how rules are defined in Interact SSAS: the process is seamless and flexible, allowing easy adaptation to any policy or regulatory requirement.

2. Disability Pension:

• Eligibility: Available to insured individuals permanently or partially disabled due to illness or accident.
• Calculation: Similar to old age pensions but may include additional weighting factors based on severity.
• Example: A worker with a 75% disability rating and 20 years of contributions may receive 2% x 20 = 40%, adjusted by 75% = 40% x 0.75 = 30% of KMF 200,000 = KMF 60,000/month.

3. Survivors’ Benefits:

• Eligibility: Paid to the spouse and/or dependents of a deceased contributor.
• Calculation: A percentage of what the deceased would have received as a pension.

Example: A surviving spouse might receive 50% of the deceased’s eligible pension.

4. Family Allowances:

• Eligibility: Employees with dependent children.
• Calculation: A fixed monthly amount per child regardless of salary.
• Example: If the allowance is KMF 5,000 per child, a family with three children would receive KMF 15,000/month.

5. Work Injury Compensation:

• Eligibility: Covers temporary or permanent disability resulting from workplace injury.
• Calculation: Wage replacement varies by disability severity.
• Example: A temporary disability might grant 66% of the average salary. A worker earning KMF 180,000/month may receive 66% x 180,000 = KMF 118,800/month during recovery.

These examples demonstrate how contribution records and salary history directly influence benefit entitlements under Comoros’ system. A modernized system like Interact SSAS automates these calculations in real-time, ensuring fairness, transparency, and timely disbursement.

The State of Social Security in Comoros

Despite multiple administering bodies, Comoros’ system is hindered by outdated processes, inconsistent policy coordination, and low participation among informal workers. Administrative delays, lack of digitization, and uneven access compound the problem, creating exclusion for many (World Bank, 2023).

Moreover, many self-employed, rural, or low-income earners remain uncovered. This creates not only economic vulnerability but also intergenerational inequality (World Economics, 2024).

Regional Lessons: Learning from the Neighborhood

Comoros can look to regional peers like Mauritius and Seychelles for inspiration. Mauritius, for example, has universalized pension access and digitized service delivery, offering real-time registration and disbursement. Its success underscores the value of political commitment and technological investment (World Bank, 2004).

A Vision for Reform: Digital Social Security

A centralized, web-accessible system can streamline registrations, automate contribution tracking, and ensure consistent enforcement. Interoperability with civil registration, tax systems, and payroll platforms can reduce errors, prevent fraud, and promote fairness.

Most importantly, a unified system makes it easier to extend coverage to the informal economy, supporting a shift toward universality in social protection.

The Role of Interact SSAS: A Smart Solution for Comoros

Interact SSAS (Social Security Administration System) is purpose-built to support comprehensive reform, streamline service delivery, and enhance the accountability of national social protection programs. It is a modular, cloud-based platform that allows governments to manage diverse benefit schemes in a single environment, ensuring scalability and adaptability to legislative and policy shifts.

Key functionalities include:

1. Modular Deployment: Interact SSAS supports a broad range of social programs such as old-age pensions, disability benefits, injury compensation, family allowances, unemployment assistance, and maternity benefits. Modules can be activated in phases depending on national priorities.
2. Browser-Based Access: Designed to operate on low-bandwidth networks, the system allows secure web access for ministry officials, employers, and registered beneficiaries. Backend portals support real-time data validation, case management, and multi-user role permissions.
3. Informal Sector Onboarding: The platform enables simplified enrollment for self-employed and informal workers through inline registration or assisted enrollment via community centers.
4. Rules Engine for Contribution and Benefit Calculation: Administrators can define and revise contribution formulas, age limits, salary brackets, and payment schedules without custom code changes. This feature ensures that regulatory amendments are applied consistently and transparently.
5. Real-Time Claims Validation: The system automatically checks eligibility, contribution history, and required documentation before approving claims, thus reducing manual processing errors and increasing service delivery speed.
6. Multi-Sector Configuration: Interact SSAS allows differentiated setup for civil servants, private employees, military staff, and informal earners. Each group can be assigned unique contribution rates, benefit entitlements, and eligibility thresholds.

Rather than relying on static data entry or manual adjustments, Interact SSAS empowers decision-makers with dynamic policy modeling tools. These allow social security administrators to simulate future changes—such as demographic shifts or economic downturns and evaluate their potential impact before implementing new policies.

 

Empowering Communities

Comoros’ Social Safety Net Project has already shown the impact of strategic targeting. By focusing on women-led households and rural communities, it not only supported short-term recovery but also spurred micro-enterprise growth and school attendance (World Bank, 2023).

With over 10,000 households benefiting from cash grants and 33,000 people receiving nutritional support, this initiative proves that well-structured social assistance yields both economic and human capital gains.

Call to Action

To future-proof its welfare system, Comoros must:

• Establish a unified national social security registry
• Digitize and harmonize contribution systems across sectors
• Extend schemes to include informal and seasonal workers
• Strengthen benefit enforcement and delivery accountability
• Facilitate public-private partnerships in social inclusion

Government stakeholders, donors, and civil society must work together to achieve this transformation.

Conclusion

Social security in Comoros is not just about policy—it is about people. Building a fair and inclusive system requires vision, technology, and multi-stakeholder coordination. Platforms like Interact SSAS can drive that vision into practical outcomes, ensuring every citizen is seen, supported, and secured.

With smart reform and digital tools, Comoros can not only catch up with regional peers but serve as a model for resilience and innovation in island social protection systems.

References

DevelopmentAid (2024). Ministry of Health, Solidarity, Social Protection and Gender Promotion, Comoros. Available at: https://www.developmentaid.org/donors/view/146246 [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].

Globalization Partners (2025). Comoros Employer of Record Guide. Available at: https://www.globalization-partners.com/globalpedia/comoros/eor [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].

ILO (2024). Strengthening Social Protection in Comoros. Available at: https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/ShowNews.action?id=26253 [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].

World Bank (2004). Mauritius – Modernizing an Advanced Pension System. Available at: https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/343711468774670616/295880mu [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].

World Bank (2023). Comoros: Improving Public Service Delivery and Strengthening Resilience to Shocks. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/09/29/comoros-afe-improving-public-service-delivery-and-strengthening-resilience-to-shocks [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].

World Economics (2024). Comoros GDP. Available at: https://www.worldeconomics.com/Country-Size/Comoros.aspx [Accessed 6 Jun. 2025].