Which has higher government spending as share of gdp, Ireland or United Arab Emirates?

Ireland, at 22.3% against 21.4% in United Arab Emirates as of 2024.

How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United Arab Emirates?

34 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2024.

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. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Ireland vs United Arab Emirates: Government spending as share of GDP

Ireland

22.3%

in 2024

United Arab Emirates

21.4%

in 2024

Ireland rank

110th

United Arab Emirates rank

113th

Government spending as share of GDP over time

Ireland
United Arab Emirates

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 22.3% against 21.4% in United Arab Emirates, a difference of 0.9%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1991 it was Ireland ahead.

Ireland ranks 110th and United Arab Emirates ranks 113th of 151 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 3 and United Arab Emirates in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Ireland	United Arab Emirates	Difference	Ahead
1990s	40.4%	28.2%	12.2%	Ireland
2000s	36.1%	21.2%	14.8%	Ireland
2010s	36.2%	28.7%	7.5%	Ireland
2020s	23.1%	24.6%	1.6%	United Arab Emirates

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher government spending as share of gdp, Ireland or United Arab Emirates?: Ireland, at 22.3% against 21.4% in United Arab Emirates as of 2024.
What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp between Ireland and United Arab Emirates?: 0.9%, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United Arab Emirates?: 34 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2024.
How do Ireland and United Arab Emirates rank globally for government spending as share of gdp?: Ireland ranks 110th and United Arab Emirates ranks 113th 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. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ireland vs United Arab Emirates: Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/historical-gov-spending-gdp/ireland/united-arab-emirates/

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About this data

Indicator: Government spending as share of GDP
Unit: % of GDP
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

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.