Australia vs Iceland: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Australia
10.6%
in 2023
Iceland
10.7%
in 2023
Australia rank
32nd
Iceland rank
31st
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Australia
- Iceland
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 10.7% against 10.6% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 32nd and Iceland ranks 31st of 37 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and Iceland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.2% | 9.1% | 1.1% | Australia |
| 2010s | 10.1% | 10.2% | 0.1% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 12.0% | 1.3% | Iceland |
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 Iceland?
- Iceland, at 10.7% against 10.6% in Australia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Australia and Iceland?
- 0.1%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Iceland?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Australia and Iceland rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Australia ranks 32nd and Iceland ranks 31st 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.