Denmark vs Netherlands: Social spending as share of GDP
Denmark
1.1%
in 2021
Netherlands
1.4%
in 2021
Denmark rank
6th
Netherlands rank
5th
Social spending as share of GDP over time
- Denmark
- Netherlands
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 1.4% against 1.1% in Denmark, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes Netherlands's figure about 1.3 times Denmark's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1983 it was Netherlands ahead.
Denmark ranks 6th and Netherlands ranks 5th of 42 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 1 and Netherlands in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8% | 1.0% | 0.2% | Netherlands |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 0.1% | Denmark |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 1.2% | 0.2% | Netherlands |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.6% | 0.2% | Netherlands |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.5% | 0.2% | Netherlands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher social spending as share of gdp, Denmark or Netherlands?
- Netherlands, at 1.4% against 1.1% in Denmark as of 2021.
- What is the difference in social spending as share of gdp between Denmark and Netherlands?
- 0.3%, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Netherlands?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 2021.
- How do Denmark and Netherlands rank globally for social spending as share of gdp?
- Denmark ranks 6th and Netherlands ranks 5th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025) β 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.