Bulgaria vs Japan: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Bulgaria
13.8%
in 2023
Japan
16.1%
in 2023
Bulgaria rank
21st
Japan rank
18th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Bulgaria
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 16.1% against 13.8% in Bulgaria, a difference of 2.3%.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times Bulgaria's.
Across all 17 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Bulgaria ranks 21st and Japan ranks 18th of 37 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bulgaria | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.2% | 14.2% | 3.0% | Japan |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 16.1% | 3.6% | Japan |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 17.2% | 3.9% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function as a share of gdp, Bulgaria or Japan?
- Japan, at 16.1% against 13.8% in Bulgaria as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Bulgaria and Japan?
- 2.3%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Japan?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Bulgaria and Japan rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 21st and Japan ranks 18th 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.