Expense in United States
United States: Expense was 24.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expense in United States, 1972–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
United States recorded 24.4% for expense in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expense in United States peaked at 31.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 1972.
United States ranks 89th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Expense in United States, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 17.8% | — |
| 1973 | 17.9% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 17.9% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 19.5% | +8.9% |
| 1976 | 19.7% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 19.6% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 19.1% | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 18.9% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 20.5% | +8.6% |
| 1981 | 21.0% | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 22.5% | +6.9% |
| 1983 | 22.8% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 21.5% | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 22.2% | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 22.2% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 21.4% | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 21.0% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 20.9% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 21.6% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 22.9% | +6.1% |
| 1992 | 21.8% | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 21.4% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 20.7% | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 20.5% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 20.0% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 19.4% | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 18.7% | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 18.1% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 19.5% | +8.8% |
| 2002 | 20.1% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 20.7% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 20.4% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 20.6% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 20.9% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 22.8% | +9.2% |
| 2009 | 25.6% | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 26.1% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 23.9% | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 22.9% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 22.6% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 22.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 22.1% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 22.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 22.5% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 31.8% | +41.2% |
| 2021 | 31.2% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 24.6% | -21.2% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.8% | 17.8% | 19.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 21.6% | 20.5% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.5% | 18.1% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.9% | 17.9% | 25.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.2% | 22.1% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.0% | 24.4% | 31.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More economy & growth data for United States
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 9.94 % change on previous year (2021)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7626 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 54,478 current US$ per person (2021)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 9.94 % change on previous year (2021)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7626 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 54,478 current LCU per person (2021)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 2.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 10.53 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expense in United States?
- Expense in United States was 24.4% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest expense recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 31.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest expense recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 1972.
- How does United States rank for expense?
- United States ranks 89th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expense rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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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About this data
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.