Canada vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita
Canada
44.7%
in 2024
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
44.0%
in 2024
Canada rank
28th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
31st
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita over time
- Canada
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
Canada currently reports 44.7% against 44.0% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 15 times across 155 shared years of data; in 1870 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
Canada ranks 28th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 31st of 151 countries.
Across the 16 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 14.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 6.9% | 6.9% | 0.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1880s | 7.4% | 6.9% | 0.6% | Canada |
| 1890s | 5.7% | 7.2% | 1.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1900s | 6.1% | 8.6% | 2.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1910s | 11.0% | 31.9% | 20.8% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1920s | 8.3% | 19.2% | 10.9% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1930s | 11.3% | 19.5% | 8.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1940s | 28.7% | 50.8% | 22.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1950s | 15.5% | 32.1% | 16.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1960s | 29.7% | 35.9% | 6.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1970s | 38.9% | 45.3% | 6.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1980s | 46.0% | 46.6% | 0.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1990s | 48.3% | 42.3% | 6.0% | Canada |
| 2000s | 40.0% | 43.5% | 3.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 41.7% | 1.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 45.1% | 45.7% | 0.7% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
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, Canada or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Canada, at 44.7% against 44.0% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita between Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.7%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 155 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2024.
- How do Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Canada ranks 28th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 31st 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.