France vs Italy: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
France
23.3%
in 2023
Italy
21.0%
in 2023
France rank
2nd
Italy rank
4th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- France
- Italy
How they compare
France currently reports 23.3% against 21.0% in Italy, a difference of 2.3%.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.
Across all 17 years both countries report, France has been ahead every year.
France ranks 2nd and Italy ranks 4th of 37 countries.
France has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Italy | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.6% | 18.3% | 4.3% | France |
| 2010s | 24.2% | 20.5% | 3.6% | France |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 22.5% | 2.3% | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function as a share of gdp, France or Italy?
- France, at 23.3% against 21.0% in Italy as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between France and Italy?
- 2.3%, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Italy?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do France and Italy rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- France ranks 2nd 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.