Russian Federation vs United States of America: Government spending as share of GDP
Russian Federation
36.9%
in 2024
United States of America
37.9%
in 2024
Russian Federation rank
52nd
United States of America rank
49th
Government spending as share of GDP over time
- Russian Federation
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 37.9% against 36.9% in Russian Federation, a difference of 1.0%.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1929 it was United States of America ahead.
Russian Federation ranks 52nd and United States of America ranks 49th of 151 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Russian Federation averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russian Federation | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 7.8% | 8.3% | 0.5% | United States of America |
| 1930s | 6.2% | 16.1% | 9.9% | United States of America |
| 1940s | 5.5% | 16.5% | 11.0% | United States of America |
| 1990s | 37.0% | 32.5% | 4.5% | Russian Federation |
| 2000s | 31.9% | 34.7% | 2.8% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 34.5% | 36.4% | 1.8% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 36.4% | 40.1% | 3.7% | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending as share of gdp, Russian Federation or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 37.9% against 36.9% in Russian Federation as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending as share of gdp between Russian Federation and United States of America?
- 1.0%, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russian Federation and United States of America?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1929 to 2024.
- How do Russian Federation and United States of America rank globally for government spending as share of gdp?
- Russian Federation ranks 52nd and United States of America ranks 49th 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.
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.