Belgium vs Italy: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Belgium
19.9%
in 2023
Italy
21.0%
in 2023
Belgium rank
6th
Italy rank
4th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Belgium
- Italy
How they compare
Italy currently reports 21.0% against 19.9% in Belgium, a difference of 1.1%.
That makes Italy's figure about 1.1 times Belgium's.
Across all 17 years both countries report, Italy has been ahead every year.
Belgium ranks 6th and Italy ranks 4th of 37 countries.
Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Italy | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.8% | 18.3% | 0.5% | Italy |
| 2010s | 19.4% | 20.5% | 1.1% | Italy |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 22.5% | 1.7% | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function as a share of gdp, Belgium or Italy?
- Italy, at 21.0% against 19.9% in Belgium as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Belgium and Italy?
- 1.1%, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Italy?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Belgium and Italy rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Belgium ranks 6th and Italy ranks 4th 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.