Expense in Switzerland

Switzerland: Expense was 16.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
16.1%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
131st
of 157 countries
All-time high
19.7%
in 2020
All-time low
10.9%
in 1972
Years of data
47
1972–2023

Expense in Switzerland, 1972–2023

05101520197219972023

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

Analysis

In 2023, expense in Switzerland stood at 16.1%.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, expense in Switzerland peaked at 19.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 1972.

Switzerland ranks 131st of 157 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.

Expense in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Expense (% of GDP) in Switzerland, 1972 to 2023.
Year % of GDP Change
1972 10.9%
1973 12.2% +11.6%
1974 12.8% +5.1%
1975 14.9% +16.3%
1976 16.7% +12.1%
1977 17.0% +1.5%
1978 16.7% -1.7%
1979 16.8% +0.6%
1980 16.4% -2.2%
1981 15.8% -4.0%
1982 16.5% +4.6%
1983 16.9% +2.5%
1984 17.0% +0.5%
1990 13.8% -18.6%
1991 14.9% +7.5%
1992 16.1% +8.6%
1993 17.3% +7.3%
1994 17.4% +0.5%
1995 17.4% -0.3%
1996 18.0% +3.8%
1997 18.3% +1.4%
1998 18.3% +0.2%
1999 19.0% +3.5%
2000 18.3% -3.4%
2001 17.3% -5.5%
2002 19.2% +10.9%
2003 18.1% -5.6%
2004 17.9% -1.0%
2005 17.6% -2.1%
2006 16.6% -5.3%
2007 16.1% -3.3%
2008 15.6% -2.8%
2009 16.6% +6.4%
2010 16.4% -1.3%
2011 16.4% -0.2%
2012 16.3% -0.8%
2013 16.5% +1.5%
2014 16.4% -0.7%
2015 16.8% +2.4%
2016 17.0% +1.2%
2017 16.9% -0.2%
2018 16.4% -3.3%
2019 16.5% +0.8%
2020 19.7% +19.1%
2021 18.4% -6.5%
2022 15.9% -13.6%
2023 16.1% +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 14.8% 10.9% 17.0% 8
1980s 16.5% 15.8% 17.0% 5
1990s 17.1% 13.8% 19.0% 10
2000s 17.3% 15.6% 19.2% 10
2010s 16.6% 16.3% 17.0% 10
2020s 17.5% 15.9% 19.7% 4

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 128 Tanzania 16.3% compare
  2. 129 Nicaragua 16.3% compare
  3. 130 Congo 16.1% compare
  4. 132 Togo 16.0% compare
  5. 133 Guinea-Bissau 15.5% compare
  6. 134 Indonesia 15.4% compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More economy & growth data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is expense in Switzerland?
Expense in Switzerland was 16.1% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
What is the highest expense recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 19.7% in 2020.
What is the lowest expense recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 1972.
How does Switzerland rank for expense?
Switzerland ranks 131st out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
Is expense rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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 Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/expense-percent-of-gdp/switzerland/

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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.