From August 2017 to December 2020, the Cypriot Labor Ministry paid 4,541,148 euros in paternity benefits to fathers who took paternity leave – the number of recipients was 8,885 people, the ministry said.

The year 2018 was the most “fruitful,” with 1,690,823 euros spent on paternity payments. In all that time, about a fifth of the applications (1,493) were rejected because they “did not meet the criteria.”

As a reminder, the law on paternity leave in Cyprus came into force on August 1, 2017. It covers young fathers who have paid their social insurance contributions on time, provided that the child is born in wedlock and the mother has not used her opportunity to take maternity leave.
The maximum duration of such leave is two weeks. The allowance is 72% of the salary (the scheme is the same as for women), and the social guarantees are also the same as for young mothers – for example, a father on maternity leave cannot be fired.