Japan vs Netherlands: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Japan
16.1%
in 2023
Netherlands
16.5%
in 2023
Japan rank
18th
Netherlands rank
16th
Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time
- Japan
- Netherlands
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 16.5% against 16.1% in Japan, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Netherlands ahead.
Japan ranks 18th and Netherlands ranks 16th of 37 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 1 and Netherlands in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.2% | 15.5% | 1.3% | Netherlands |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 17.0% | 0.9% | Netherlands |
| 2020s | 17.2% | 16.5% | 0.7% | 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, Japan or Netherlands?
- Netherlands, at 16.5% against 16.1% in Japan as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Japan and Netherlands?
- 0.4%, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Netherlands?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Japan and Netherlands rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Japan ranks 18th and Netherlands ranks 16th 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.