Norway vs Sweden: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita
Norway
48.5%
in 2024
Sweden
49.3%
in 2024
Norway rank
16th
Sweden rank
15th
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita over time
- Norway
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 49.3% against 48.5% in Norway, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 26 times across 138 shared years of data; in 1881 it was Sweden ahead.
Norway ranks 16th and Sweden ranks 15th of 151 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 7 and Sweden in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 6.5% | 6.8% | 0.4% | Sweden |
| 1890s | 8.1% | 6.9% | 1.2% | Norway |
| 1900s | 9.5% | 8.3% | 1.2% | Norway |
| 1910s | 7.9% | 9.1% | 1.1% | Sweden |
| 1920s | 10.0% | 9.1% | 0.8% | Norway |
| 1930s | 8.4% | 11.3% | 2.9% | Sweden |
| 1940s | 19.6% | 17.8% | 1.8% | Norway |
| 1950s | 16.7% | 21.1% | 4.4% | Sweden |
| 1960s | 30.8% | 25.5% | 5.3% | Norway |
| 1970s | 43.7% | 33.0% | 10.7% | Norway |
| 1980s | 47.7% | 43.3% | 4.4% | Norway |
| 1990s | 51.5% | 55.6% | 4.1% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 43.8% | 52.1% | 8.3% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 46.6% | 49.8% | 3.2% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 47.0% | 49.6% | 2.6% | Sweden |
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, Norway or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 49.3% against 48.5% in Norway as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita between Norway and Sweden?
- 0.8%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Sweden?
- 138 years are reported by both, from 1881 to 2024.
- How do Norway and Sweden rank globally for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Norway ranks 16th and Sweden ranks 15th 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.