What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Republic of Korea and United States of America?

1.4%, with Republic of Korea ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Republic of Korea and United States of America?

17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.

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.

Republic of Korea vs United States of America: Government spending by function as a share of GDP

Republic of Korea

9.3%

in 2023

United States of America

7.9%

in 2023

Republic of Korea rank

33rd

United States of America rank

36th

Government spending by function as a share of GDP over time

Republic of Korea
United States of America

How they compare

Republic of Korea currently reports 9.3% against 7.9% in United States of America, a difference of 1.4%.

That makes Republic of Korea's figure about 1.2 times United States of America's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was United States of America ahead.

Republic of Korea ranks 33rd and United States of America ranks 36th of 37 countries.

United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Republic of Korea	United States of America	Difference	Ahead
2000s	4.9%	7.7%	2.8%	United States of America
2010s	6.2%	8.0%	1.8%	United States of America
2020s	8.9%	10.0%	1.1%	United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government spending by function as a share of gdp, Republic of Korea or United States of America?: Republic of Korea, at 9.3% against 7.9% in United States of America as of 2023.
What is the difference in government spending by function as a share of gdp between Republic of Korea and United States of America?: 1.4%, with Republic of Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Republic of Korea and United States of America?: 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
How do Republic of Korea and United States of America rank globally for government spending by function as a share of gdp?: Republic of Korea ranks 33rd and United States of America ranks 36th 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.

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Republic of Korea vs United States of America: Government spending by function as a share of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/government-spending-by-function-as-share-of-gdp-across-countries/korea-rep/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator: Government spending by function as a share of GDP
Unit: % of GDP
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 37 places, 618 data points, 2007–2024
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.