Central government expense as a share of GDP
Cash payments by central government for operating activities, such as wages, goods and services, interest and social benefits, as a percentage of GDP. Subnational government is not covered.
125 countries have a value for 2021, the latest period with data for most countries. Some countries have newer figures; see the ranking below for each country's latest year.
Trend over time
The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of GDP. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | World | United States | India | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | – | 24.4% | – | – |
| 2022 | 28.5% | 24.6% | 13.7% | 31.2% |
| 2021 | 31.7% | 31.2% | – | 32.7% |
| 2020 | 33.4% | 31.8% | – | 32.2% |
| 2019 | 26.7% | 22.5% | – | 27.9% |
| 2018 | 26.1% | 22.2% | 15.7% | 27.4% |
| 2017 | 26.3% | 22.1% | 15.6% | 27.5% |
| 2016 | 26.6% | 22.4% | 15.3% | 27.4% |
| 2015 | 26.8% | 22.4% | 15.1% | 27.4% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | 22.6% | 14.8% | 27.5% |
| 2013 | 27.1% | 22.9% | 16.6% | 28.0% |
| 2012 | 27.4% | 23.9% | 16.2% | 27.9% |
| 2011 | 27.5% | 25.3% | 14.5% | 28.3% |
| 2010 | 28.4% | 26.1% | 16.5% | 30.8% |
| 2009 | 28.4% | 25.6% | 16.9% | 30.4% |
| 2008 | 25.9% | 22.8% | 17.2% | 27.8% |
| 2007 | 24.8% | 20.9% | 15.3% | 27.5% |
| 2006 | 24.9% | 20.6% | 15.2% | 28.7% |
| 2005 | 25.1% | 20.7% | 15.2% | 30.0% |
| 2004 | 24.8% | 20.4% | 15.1% | 30.0% |
| 2003 | 25.2% | 20.7% | 15.6% | 31.2% |
| 2002 | 24.9% | 20.1% | 16.1% | 30.8% |
| 2001 | 24.7% | 19.5% | 15.5% | 30.4% |
| 2000 | 23.6% | 17.9% | 15.4% | 31.0% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
In short
- Among the 125 countries with a value for 2021, the highest is Kiribati (84.1%) and the lowest United Arab Emirates (4.3%).
- Half of the countries are above 28.5% and half below.
- From 2020 to 2021 the value rose in 2 countries and fell in 13.
- The figure for the world was 31.7% in 2021, against 26.6% in 2016 (+5.2 percentage points).
About this measure
Before comparing
- Covers central government only.
Source and dates
All countries in 2021 Every value is for 2021, so the countries are compared at the same point in time.
- 1 Kiribati 84.1%
- 2 Greece 54.8%
- 3 Austria 50.0%
- 4 France 50.0%
- 5 Italy 49.7%
- 6 Slovenia 46.6%
- 7 San Marino 44.1%
- 8 United Kingdom 42.9%
- 9 Portugal 42.5%
- 10 Slovakia 42.4%
- 11 Hungary 42.3%
- 12 Netherlands 41.8%
- 13 Belgium 41.4%
- 14 Timor-Leste 41.2%
- 15 Cyprus 40.7%
- 16 Croatia 40.7%
- 17 Finland 40.1%
- 18 Luxembourg 39.0%
- 19 Latvia 38.5%
- 20 Spain 38.4%
- 21 Estonia 38.2%
- 22 Israel 38.2%
- 23 Lesotho 38.1%
- 24 Bulgaria 37.7%
- 25 Serbia 37.7%
- 26 Namibia 37.6%
- 27 Romania 37.2%
- 28 Malta 37.2%
- 29 Poland 37.0%
- 30 Czechia 36.8%
- 31 Denmark 36.4%
- 32 Fiji 36.3%
- 33 Tonga 36.0%
- 34 Colombia 35.7%
- 35 Norway 35.2%
- 36 Lithuania 35.2%
- 37 Bosnia and Herzegovina 34.9%
- 38 Iceland 34.7%
- 39 South Africa 34.6%
- 40 Samoa 34.4%
- 41 New Zealand 33.6%
- 42 North Macedonia 33.3%
- 43 Ukraine 33.3%
- 44 Sweden 33.2%
- 45 Germany 32.7%
- 46 Australia 32.6%
- 47 Mauritius 32.5%
- 48 Ecuador 31.9%
- 49 Macao SAR, China 31.8%
- 50 Uruguay 31.7%
- 51 Mongolia 31.7%
- 52 United States 31.2%
- 53 Chile 30.8%
- 54 Russia 30.8%
- 55 Costa Rica 30.5%
- 56 Solomon Islands 30.4%
- 57 Türkiye 30.2%
- 58 Moldova 30.0%
- 59 Vanuatu 29.8%
- 60 El Salvador 29.5%
- 61 Brazil 29.5%
- 62 Maldives 29.5%
- 63 South Korea 28.5%
- 64 Botswana 28.4%
- 65 Belarus 27.9%
- 66 Georgia 27.2%
- 67 Azerbaijan 27.1%
- 68 West Bank and Gaza 26.2%
- 69 Jordan 26.0%
- 70 Morocco 25.6%
- 71 Thailand 25.1%
- 72 Zambia 25.1%
- 73 Saudi Arabia 25.0%
- 74 Armenia 25.0%
- 75 Bahamas 24.7%
- 76 Eswatini 24.6%
- 77 Albania 24.4%
- 78 Kenya 23.6%
- 79 Kyrgyzstan 23.4%
- 80 Mozambique 23.3%
- 81 Argentina 22.9%
- 82 Peru 22.8%
- 83 Canada 22.5%
- 84 Ireland 22.3%
- 85 Uzbekistan 21.9%
- 86 Mexico 20.9%
- 87 Japan 20.8%
- 88 Ghana 20.8%
- 89 Rwanda 20.0%
- 90 Burkina Faso 19.9%
- 91 Papua New Guinea 19.8%
- 92 Senegal 19.6%
- 93 Nepal 19.4%
- 94 Philippines 19.1%
- 95 Switzerland 18.4%
- 96 Sri Lanka 17.5%
- 97 Dominican Republic 17.4%
- 98 Malaysia 17.3%
- 99 Malawi 17.2%
- 100 Nicaragua 17.2%
- 101 Panama 17.1%
- 102 Kazakhstan 17.1%
- 103 Paraguay 16.7%
- 104 Côte d'Ivoire 16.4%
- 105 Republic of the Congo 16.1%
- 106 Singapore 16.1%
- 107 Uganda 15.6%
- 108 Tanzania 15.1%
- 109 Guinea-Bissau 14.2%
- 110 Gabon 14.1%
- 111 Guatemala 13.3%
- 112 Togo 13.2%
- 113 Cambodia 12.6%
- 114 Tajikistan 12.5%
- 115 Cameroon 12.4%
- 116 Burundi 12.3%
- 117 Central African Republic 11.7%
- 118 Laos 10.8%
- 119 Madagascar 10.7%
- 120 Equatorial Guinea 10.4%
- 121 Democratic Republic of the Congo 8.6%
- 122 Ethiopia 8.4%
- 123 Bangladesh 8.3%
- 124 Lebanon 6.3%
- 125 United Arab Emirates 4.3%
- Euro area 41.8%
- Europe and Central Asia 38.7%
- European Union 41.1%
- Latin America and Caribbean 26.4%
- North America 30.5%
- OECD members 33.1%
- World 31.7%
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Grey: no value for 2021. Colour groups split countries into roughly equal numbers. Boundaries: Natural Earth.