Government expenditure as a share of GDP
Total general government expenditure, including social benefits, compensation of employees, interest and investment, as a percentage of GDP.
30 countries have a value for 2025, the latest period in the data.
Trend over time
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The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of GDP. Source: Eurostat. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | European Union | Germany | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49.4% | 50.1% | 57.3% | 45.3% |
| 2024 | 48.9% | 49.0% | 57.0% | 45.4% |
| 2023 | 48.8% | 47.7% | 56.8% | 45.5% |
| 2022 | 49.1% | 48.3% | 58.4% | 46.3% |
| 2021 | 51.1% | 50.3% | 59.5% | 49.5% |
| 2020 | 52.8% | 50.7% | 61.7% | 51.4% |
| 2019 | 46.6% | 45.3% | 55.3% | 42.0% |
| 2018 | 46.6% | 44.4% | 56.4% | 41.5% |
| 2017 | 46.9% | 44.4% | 57.7% | 41.0% |
| 2016 | 47.5% | 44.6% | 57.4% | 42.1% |
| 2015 | 48.3% | 44.4% | 57.6% | 43.7% |
| 2014 | 49.3% | 44.4% | 58.4% | 45.0% |
| 2013 | 50.0% | 45.1% | 58.6% | 46.2% |
| 2012 | 50.0% | 45.1% | 57.9% | 49.2% |
| 2011 | 49.3% | 45.3% | 57.0% | 45.9% |
| 2010 | 50.7% | 48.1% | 57.7% | 45.8% |
| 2009 | 50.9% | 48.3% | 58.0% | 46.1% |
| 2008 | 47.0% | 44.4% | 54.3% | 41.3% |
| 2007 | 45.8% | 43.5% | 53.6% | 39.2% |
| 2006 | 46.6% | 45.3% | 53.8% | 38.4% |
| 2005 | 47.2% | 46.9% | 54.3% | 38.4% |
| 2004 | 47.4% | 47.0% | 54.0% | 38.8% |
| 2003 | 48.1% | 48.5% | 54.4% | 38.3% |
| 2002 | 47.8% | 48.2% | 53.9% | 38.6% |
| 2001 | 47.4% | 47.7% | 52.8% | 38.4% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
In short
- Among the 30 countries with a value for 2025, the highest is Finland (57.5%) and the lowest Ireland (22.3%).
- Half of the countries are above 47.3% and half below.
- From 2024 to 2025 the value rose in 22 countries and fell in 6.
- The figure for the European Union was 49.4% in 2025, against 52.8% in 2020 (−3.4 percentage points).
About this measure
Source and dates
All countries in 2025 Every value is for 2025, so the countries are compared at the same point in time.
- 1 Finland 57.5%
- 2 France 57.3%
- 3 Austria 54.6%
- 4 Belgium 54.4%p (provisional)
- 5 Italy 51.1%
- 6 Poland 50.9%
- 7 Germany 50.1%
- 8 Croatia 49.4%
- 9 Norway 49.4%
- 10 Sweden 49.3%
- 11 Slovenia 48.9%
- 12 Luxembourg 48.7%
- 13 Greece 47.8%
- 14 Hungary 47.6%
- 15 Slovakia 47.3%
- 16 Denmark 47.2%
- 17 Iceland 45.7%
- 18 Estonia 45.6%
- 19 Latvia 45.3%
- 20 Spain 45.3%
- 21 Netherlands 45.2%p (provisional)
- 22 Romania 43.4%
- 23 Czechia 43.3%
- 24 Portugal 42.3%
- 25 Bulgaria 42.1%
- 26 Lithuania 41.1%
- 27 Cyprus 37.9%
- 28 Malta 37.1%
- 29 Switzerland 33.6%
- 30 Ireland 22.3%
- European Union 49.4%
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Grey: no value for 2025. Colour groups split countries into roughly equal numbers. Boundaries: Natural Earth.