Expense in Italy

Italy: Expense was 47.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
47.3%
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
8th
of 157 countries
All-time high
50.3%
in 2020
All-time low
26.5%
in 1974
Years of data
46
1973–2023

Expense in Italy, 1973–2023

0204060197319982023

Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Italy recorded 47.3% for expense in 2023.

That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expense in Italy peaked at 50.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 26.5%, in 1974.

Italy ranks 8th of 157 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.

Expense in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Expense (% of GDP) in Italy, 1973 to 2023.
Year % of GDP Change
1973 26.6%
1974 26.5% -0.1%
1975 31.0% +16.7%
1976 29.9% -3.3%
1977 30.1% +0.5%
1978 33.8% +12.4%
1979 35.6% +5.4%
1980 38.5% +7.9%
1986 46.0% +19.6%
1987 46.9% +1.8%
1988 42.3% -9.7%
1989 43.2% +2.1%
1990 43.1% -0.2%
1991 44.0% +1.9%
1992 47.0% +6.8%
1993 48.0% +2.2%
1994 45.8% -4.7%
1995 48.0% +5.0%
1996 47.3% -1.5%
1997 45.0% -5.0%
1998 41.1% -8.6%
1999 40.9% -0.5%
2000 39.4% -3.7%
2001 39.9% +1.2%
2002 39.3% -1.3%
2003 39.5% +0.4%
2004 38.7% -2.0%
2005 39.0% +0.9%
2006 39.6% +1.4%
2007 39.1% -1.3%
2008 40.6% +3.8%
2009 44.0% +8.6%
2010 42.7% -3.1%
2011 41.8% -2.0%
2012 43.5% +4.0%
2013 43.7% +0.6%
2014 43.6% -0.4%
2015 43.5% -0.1%
2016 43.2% -0.8%
2017 42.9% -0.6%
2018 42.5% -1.0%
2019 42.3% -0.5%
2020 50.3% +19.0%
2021 49.7% -1.4%
2022 48.4% -2.6%
2023 47.3% -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 30.5% 26.5% 35.6% 7
1980s 43.4% 38.5% 46.9% 5
1990s 45.0% 40.9% 48.0% 10
2000s 39.9% 38.7% 44.0% 10
2010s 43.0% 41.8% 43.7% 10
2020s 48.9% 47.3% 50.3% 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 5 Palau 59.0% compare
  2. 6 East Timor 52.5% compare
  3. 7 Greece 47.3% compare
  4. 9 France 47.3% compare
  5. 10 Austria 46.0% compare
  6. 11 Finland 44.9% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More economy & growth data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is expense in Italy?
Expense in Italy was 47.3% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest expense recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 50.3% in 2020.
What is the lowest expense recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 26.5% in 1974.
How does Italy rank for expense?
Italy ranks 8th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
Is expense rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy data come from?
The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Expense (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Expense in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/expense-percent-of-gdp/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Expense (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
183 places, 5,211 data points, 1972–2024
Last refreshed

Expense is a decrease in net worth resulting from a transaction. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.