Belgium vs France: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita
Belgium
54.5%
in 2024
France
57.2%
in 2024
Belgium rank
9th
France rank
6th
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita over time
- Belgium
- France
How they compare
France currently reports 57.2% against 54.5% in Belgium, a difference of 2.7%.
The two have swapped places 14 times across 120 shared years of data; in 1880 it was France ahead.
Belgium ranks 9th and France ranks 6th of 151 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 7 and France in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | France | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 7.6% | 13.2% | 5.6% | France |
| 1890s | 9.8% | 11.7% | 1.9% | France |
| 1900s | 10.3% | 11.0% | 0.7% | France |
| 1910s | 10.6% | 10.1% | 0.5% | Belgium |
| 1920s | 19.3% | 13.9% | 5.4% | Belgium |
| 1930s | 21.6% | 20.1% | 1.5% | Belgium |
| 1940s | 27.5% | 24.4% | 3.1% | Belgium |
| 1950s | 22.0% | 22.2% | 0.3% | France |
| 1960s | 24.1% | 21.7% | 2.4% | Belgium |
| 1970s | 48.1% | 25.5% | 22.7% | Belgium |
| 1980s | 57.5% | 49.9% | 7.7% | Belgium |
| 1990s | 52.3% | 53.0% | 0.7% | France |
| 2000s | 50.1% | 53.2% | 3.1% | France |
| 2010s | 53.9% | 57.3% | 3.4% | France |
| 2020s | 54.7% | 58.7% | 4.0% | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita, Belgium or France?
- France, at 57.2% against 54.5% in Belgium as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita between Belgium and France?
- 2.7%, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and France?
- 120 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
- How do Belgium and France rank globally for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Belgium ranks 9th and France ranks 6th of 151 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.