General government final consumption expenditure in European Union
European Union: General government final consumption expenditure was 21.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
General government final consumption expenditure in European Union, 1970–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, general government final consumption expenditure in European Union stood at 21.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, general government final consumption expenditure in European Union peaked at 22.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 16.2%, in 1970.
That places European Union 2nd out of 43 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
General government final consumption expenditure in European Union, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 16.2% | — |
| 1971 | 17.0% | +5.2% |
| 1972 | 17.3% | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 17.4% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 18.0% | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 19.2% | +6.5% |
| 1976 | 19.2% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 19.5% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 19.8% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 19.8% | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 20.1% | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 20.8% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 20.8% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 20.9% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 20.6% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 20.7% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 20.5% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 20.7% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 20.4% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 19.9% | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 20.0% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 20.2% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 20.6% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 20.9% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 20.6% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 20.4% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 20.4% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 20.2% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 19.8% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 20.0% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 19.8% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 19.9% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 20.2% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 20.5% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 20.3% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 20.4% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 20.2% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 19.8% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 20.3% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | +7.9% |
| 2010 | 21.7% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 21.2% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 21.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 21.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 21.2% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 20.9% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 20.9% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 20.7% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 20.6% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 20.7% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 22.5% | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 22.0% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 21.1% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 21.5% | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 21.6% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.3% | 16.2% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.5% | 19.9% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.3% | 19.8% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.3% | 19.8% | 21.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.0% | 20.6% | 21.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.7% | 21.1% | 22.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 1 Timor-Leste 60.6% compare
- 2 Kiribati 59.0% compare
- 3 Marshall Islands 54.5% compare
- 4 Greenland 41.7% compare
- 5 Ukraine 38.9% compare
More economy & growth data for European Union
- Exports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 23,360 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 9.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 18,514 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3932 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 164.14 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 9.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 33,955 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 7.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0035 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is general government final consumption expenditure in European Union?
- General government final consumption expenditure in European Union was 21.6% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
- What is the highest general government final consumption expenditure recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 22.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest general government final consumption expenditure recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.2% in 1970.
- How does European Union rank for general government final consumption expenditure?
- European Union ranks 2nd out of 43 groups with data for 2025.
- Is general government final consumption expenditure rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), published as part of General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Final consumption expenditure is expenditure on goods and services by resident institutional units for the direct satisfaction of human needs or wants, whether individual or collective. General government FCE includes all government current expenditures for purchases of goods and services (including compensation of employees), and most expenditures on national defense and security, but excludes government military expenditures that are part of government capital formation. 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.