Bulgaria vs Latvia: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Bulgaria
13.8%
in 2023
Latvia
13.5%
in 2023
Bulgaria rank
21st
Latvia rank
23rd
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Bulgaria
- Latvia
How they compare
Bulgaria currently reports 13.8% against 13.5% in Latvia, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Bulgaria ahead.
Bulgaria ranks 21st and Latvia ranks 23rd of 37 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Bulgaria averaged higher in 2 and Latvia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bulgaria | Latvia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.2% | 10.7% | 0.5% | Bulgaria |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 12.4% | 0.2% | Bulgaria |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 13.7% | 0.5% | Latvia |
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 Latvia?
- Bulgaria, at 13.8% against 13.5% in Latvia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Bulgaria and Latvia?
- 0.3%, with Bulgaria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and Latvia?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Bulgaria and Latvia rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 21st and Latvia ranks 23rd 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.