Canada vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Social spending as share of GDP
Canada
2.4%
in 2022
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1.6%
in 2022
Canada rank
1st
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
3rd
Social spending as share of GDP over time
- Canada
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
Canada currently reports 2.4% against 1.6% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.5 times United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's.
Across all 43 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 1st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 3rd of 42 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.1% | 0.8% | 1.3% | Canada |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 0.2% | 2.9% | Canada |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 0.2% | 2.2% | Canada |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 0.2% | 2.0% | Canada |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 1.7% | 0.7% | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher social spending as share of gdp, Canada or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Canada, at 2.4% against 1.6% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2022.
- What is the difference in social spending as share of gdp between Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.8%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 43 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2022.
- How do Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for social spending as share of gdp?
- Canada ranks 1st and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 3rd of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Social 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
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.