North America vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Expense

North America
24.0%
in 2023
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
41.2%
in 2023
North America rank
19th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
15th

Expense over time

  • North America
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
01020304050197219972023

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 41.2% against 24.0% in North America, a difference of 17.2%.

That makes United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's figure about 1.7 times North America's.

Across all 52 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.

North America ranks 19th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th of 26 groups.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade North America United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1970s 18.8% 33.4% 14.6% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1980s 21.6% 34.9% 13.3% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1990s 20.7% 35.4% 14.7% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2000s 20.7% 37.6% 17.0% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2010s 22.8% 39.4% 16.7% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2020s 27.5% 43.1% 15.6% United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher expense, North America or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 41.2% against 24.0% in North America as of 2023.
What is the difference in expense between North America and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
17.2%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North America and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
52 years are reported by both, from 1972 to 2023.
How do North America and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for expense?
North America ranks 19th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 15th of 26 groups.
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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North America vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Expense. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/expense-percent-of-gdp/north-america/united-kingdom/

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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.