Malaysia vs Singapore: Expense

Malaysia
17.0%
in 2023
Singapore
17.1%
in 2023
Malaysia rank
125th
Singapore rank
124th

Expense over time

  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
0102030197219972023

How they compare

Singapore currently reports 17.1% against 17.0% in Malaysia, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Malaysia ahead.

Malaysia ranks 125th and Singapore ranks 124th of 157 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 3 and Singapore in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malaysia Singapore Difference Ahead
1990s 17.8% 15.1% 2.7% Malaysia
2000s 18.4% 14.7% 3.7% Malaysia
2010s 18.3% 13.6% 4.7% Malaysia
2020s 17.7% 18.4% 0.7% Singapore

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher expense, Malaysia or Singapore?
Singapore, at 17.1% against 17.0% in Malaysia as of 2023.
What is the difference in expense between Malaysia and Singapore?
0.1%, with Singapore ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Singapore?
28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
How do Malaysia and Singapore rank globally for expense?
Malaysia ranks 125th and Singapore ranks 124th of 157 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malaysia vs Singapore: Expense. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/expense-percent-of-gdp/malaysia/singapore/

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About this data

Indicator
Expense (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
183 places, 5,211 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.