Denmark vs Italy: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Denmark
19.6%
in 2024
Italy
21.0%
in 2023
Denmark rank
7th
Italy rank
4th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Denmark
- Italy
How they compare
Italy currently reports 21.0% against 19.6% in Denmark, a difference of 1.4%.
That makes Italy's figure about 1.1 times Denmark's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Denmark ahead.
Denmark ranks 7th and Italy ranks 4th of 37 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 2 and Italy in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Italy | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.0% | 18.3% | 3.7% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 23.1% | 20.5% | 2.6% | Denmark |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 22.5% | 2.2% | 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, Denmark or Italy?
- Italy, at 21.0% against 19.6% in Denmark as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Denmark and Italy?
- 1.4%, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Italy?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Denmark and Italy rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 7th 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.