Denmark vs Norway: Government spending as share of GDP
Denmark
47.3%
in 2024
Norway
48.5%
in 2024
Denmark rank
19th
Norway rank
16th
Government spending as share of GDP over time
- Denmark
- Norway
How they compare
Norway currently reports 48.5% against 47.3% in Denmark, a difference of 1.2%.
The two have swapped places 22 times across 138 shared years of data; in 1881 it was Norway ahead.
Denmark ranks 19th and Norway ranks 16th of 151 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 6 and Norway in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Norway | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 6.4% | 6.5% | 0.0% | Norway |
| 1890s | 6.4% | 8.1% | 1.7% | Norway |
| 1900s | 6.0% | 9.5% | 3.5% | Norway |
| 1910s | 6.3% | 7.9% | 1.7% | Norway |
| 1920s | 8.9% | 10.0% | 1.1% | Norway |
| 1930s | 9.6% | 8.4% | 1.2% | Denmark |
| 1940s | 11.0% | 19.6% | 8.6% | Norway |
| 1950s | 14.1% | 16.7% | 2.6% | Norway |
| 1960s | 19.5% | 30.8% | 11.3% | Norway |
| 1970s | 42.4% | 43.7% | 1.2% | Norway |
| 1980s | 55.5% | 47.7% | 7.8% | Denmark |
| 1990s | 57.6% | 51.5% | 6.1% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 53.8% | 43.8% | 10.0% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 54.1% | 46.6% | 7.5% | Denmark |
| 2020s | 48.6% | 47.0% | 1.6% | Denmark |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending as share of gdp, Denmark or Norway?
- Norway, at 48.5% against 47.3% in Denmark as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp between Denmark and Norway?
- 1.2%, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Norway?
- 138 years are reported by both, from 1881 to 2024.
- How do Denmark and Norway rank globally for government spending as share of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 19th and Norway ranks 16th of 151 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending as share of GDP. 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.