Social insurance refers to a social and economic system that provides income or compensation for people who lose their ability to work, are temporarily unemployed or suffer losses due to health reasons. The main items of social insurance include endowment insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, industrial injury insurance and maternity insurance.

The social insurance plan is organized by the government, forcing a certain group to use part of its income as social insurance tax to form a social insurance fund. Under certain conditions, the insured can get fixed income or loss compensation from the fund. It is a redistribution system, and its goal is to ensure the reproduction of material and labor and social stability.