Netherlands vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita
Netherlands
44.4%
in 2024
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
44.0%
in 2024
Netherlands rank
30th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
31st
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita over time
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 44.4% against 44.0% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 12 times across 127 shared years of data; in 1880 it was Netherlands ahead.
Netherlands ranks 30th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 31st of 151 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Netherlands averaged higher in 9 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 10.8% | 6.9% | 3.9% | Netherlands |
| 1890s | 11.7% | 7.2% | 4.4% | Netherlands |
| 1900s | 10.4% | 8.6% | 1.9% | Netherlands |
| 1910s | 9.5% | 8.2% | 1.3% | Netherlands |
| 1920s | 7.9% | 18.4% | 10.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1930s | 11.2% | 19.5% | 8.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1940s | 24.0% | 32.6% | 8.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1950s | 22.8% | 32.1% | 9.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1960s | 24.8% | 35.9% | 11.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1970s | 48.2% | 45.3% | 2.9% | Netherlands |
| 1980s | 57.2% | 46.6% | 10.6% | Netherlands |
| 1990s | 52.1% | 42.3% | 9.8% | Netherlands |
| 2000s | 46.2% | 43.5% | 2.8% | Netherlands |
| 2010s | 45.7% | 41.7% | 4.0% | Netherlands |
| 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, Netherlands or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Netherlands, at 44.4% 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 Netherlands and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.4%, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 127 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
- How do Netherlands and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Netherlands ranks 30th 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.