Government spending on social protection
Total general government expenditure on social protection (COFOG division 10: pensions, sickness and disability, family, unemployment, housing and social exclusion), as a percentage of GDP.
30 countries have a value for 2024, 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: Eurostat. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | European Union | Germany | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19.5% | 20.4%p (provisional) | 23.7%p (provisional) | 18.7%p (provisional) |
| 2023 | 19.1% | 19.5%p (provisional) | 23.3%p (provisional) | 18.5% |
| 2022 | 19.3% | 19.8%p (provisional) | 23.8% | 18.3% |
| 2021 | 20.2% | 20.5% | 24.8% | 20.1% |
| 2020 | 21.7% | 21.4% | 27.2% | 21.9% |
| 2019 | 19.2% | 19.2% | 23.9% | 17.3% |
| 2018 | 19.1% | 18.9% | 24.0% | 16.8% |
| 2017 | 19.3% | 19.0% | 24.3% | 16.6% |
| 2016 | 19.6% | 19.1% | 24.4% | 16.9% |
| 2015 | 19.6% | 18.7% | 24.3% | 17.0% |
| 2014 | 19.8% | 18.4% | 24.5% | 17.8% |
| 2013 | 20.0% | 18.6% | 24.4% | 18.1% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | 18.5% | 24.2% | 17.7% |
| 2011 | 19.3% | 18.5% | 23.7% | 16.9% |
| 2010 | 19.7% | 19.6% | 23.7% | 16.7% |
| 2009 | – | 20.3% | 23.8% | 16.1% |
| 2008 | – | 18.5% | 22.0% | 13.8% |
| 2007 | – | 18.5% | 21.9% | 12.8% |
| 2006 | – | 19.6% | 21.8% | 12.7% |
| 2005 | – | 20.4% | 21.7% | 12.7% |
| 2004 | – | 20.4% | 21.7% | 12.8% |
| 2003 | – | 20.7% | 21.7% | 12.7% |
| 2002 | – | 20.3% | 21.3% | 12.6% |
| 2001 | – | 19.9% | 21.0% | 12.5% |
Flags: p provisional . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- Among the 30 countries with a value for 2024, the highest is Finland (26.5%) and the lowest Ireland (8.2%).
- Half of the countries are above 17.1% and half below.
- From 2023 to 2024 the value rose in 24 countries and fell in 4.
- The figure for the European Union was 19.5% in 2024, against 19.2% in 2019 (+0.3 percentage points).
About this measure
Source and dates
All countries in 2024 Every value is for 2024, so the countries are compared at the same point in time.
- 1 Finland 26.5%
- 2 France 23.7%p (provisional)
- 3 Austria 22.8%
- 4 Italy 21.3%
- 5 Belgium 20.4%p (provisional)
- 6 Germany 20.4%p (provisional)
- 7 Luxembourg 19.9%
- 8 Denmark 19.6%
- 9 Sweden 19.0%
- 10 Spain 18.7%p (provisional)
- 11 Norway 18.5%
- 12 Slovakia 18.4%p (provisional)
- 13 Poland 18.3%
- 14 Greece 17.7%
- 15 Portugal 17.1%p (provisional)
- 16 Slovenia 17.1%
- 17 Netherlands 16.6%
- 18 Lithuania 14.7%
- 19 Bulgaria 14.4%
- 20 Latvia 14.1%
- 21 Croatia 13.8%
- 22 Estonia 13.8%
- 23 Romania 13.6%
- 24 Czechia 13.2%
- 25 Switzerland 12.7%
- 26 Iceland 12.6%
- 27 Cyprus 12.4%
- 28 Hungary 12.3%
- 29 Malta 9.8%
- 30 Ireland 8.2%
- European Union 19.5%
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Related measures
- Government expenditure as a share of GDPEurostat
- At-risk-of-poverty rateEurostat
In this topic
Map
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Grey: no value for 2024. Colour groups split countries into roughly equal numbers. Boundaries: Natural Earth.