Germany vs Greece: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Germany
19.5%
in 2023
Greece
18.5%
in 2023
Germany rank
8th
Greece rank
10th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Germany
- Greece
How they compare
Germany currently reports 19.5% against 18.5% in Greece, a difference of 1.0%.
That makes Germany's figure about 1.1 times Greece's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 8th and Greece ranks 10th of 37 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 2 and Greece in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | Greece | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.1% | 17.4% | 1.7% | Germany |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 20.2% | 1.4% | Greece |
| 2020s | 20.3% | 20.0% | 0.3% | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function as a share of gdp, Germany or Greece?
- Germany, at 19.5% against 18.5% in Greece as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Germany and Greece?
- 1.0%, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Greece?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Germany and Greece rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Germany ranks 8th and Greece ranks 10th 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.