Australia vs Costa Rica: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Australia
10.6%
in 2023
Costa Rica
8.1%
in 2021
Australia rank
32nd
Costa Rica rank
35th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Australia
- Costa Rica
How they compare
Australia currently reports 10.6% against 8.1% in Costa Rica, a difference of 2.5%.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.3 times Costa Rica's.
Across all 10 years both countries report, Australia has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 32nd and Costa Rica ranks 35th of 37 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Costa Rica | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 10.2% | 8.1% | 2.1% | Australia |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 8.8% | 2.4% | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function as a share of gdp, Australia or Costa Rica?
- Australia, at 10.6% against 8.1% in Costa Rica as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Australia and Costa Rica?
- 2.5%, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Costa Rica?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2021.
- How do Australia and Costa Rica rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Australia ranks 32nd and Costa Rica ranks 35th of 37 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending by function as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.