South Korea vs Thailand: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita
South Korea
22.5%
in 2024
Thailand
22.7%
in 2024
South Korea rank
108th
Thailand rank
107th
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita over time
- South Korea
- Thailand
How they compare
Thailand currently reports 22.7% against 22.5% in South Korea, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 72 shared years of data; in 1953 it was Thailand ahead.
South Korea ranks 108th and Thailand ranks 107th of 151 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and Thailand in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19.3% | 13.7% | 5.6% | South Korea |
| 1960s | 17.3% | 13.6% | 3.7% | South Korea |
| 1970s | 17.0% | 16.3% | 0.7% | South Korea |
| 1980s | 15.6% | 18.6% | 3.0% | Thailand |
| 1990s | 15.0% | 17.4% | 2.4% | Thailand |
| 2000s | 18.0% | 20.3% | 2.3% | Thailand |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 21.6% | 2.7% | Thailand |
| 2020s | 24.0% | 24.4% | 0.4% | Thailand |
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, South Korea or Thailand?
- Thailand, at 22.7% against 22.5% in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita between South Korea and Thailand?
- 0.2%, with Thailand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Thailand?
- 72 years are reported by both, from 1953 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Thailand rank globally for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- South Korea ranks 108th and Thailand ranks 107th 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.