Government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America

United States of America: Government expenditure vs gdp was 3.03 trillion in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
3.03 trillion
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
1st
of 166 countries
All-time high
3.03 trillion
in 2024
All-time low
1.37 trillion
in 1973
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America, 1970–2024

01.0T2.0T3.0T197019972024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2024, government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America stood at 3.03 trillion. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.

The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 18.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America peaked at 3.03 trillion in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.37 trillion, in 1973.

United States of America ranks 1st of 166 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.

Government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America, 1970 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1970 1.38 trillion
1971 1.38 trillion +0.1%
1972 1.38 trillion +0.3%
1973 1.37 trillion -0.9%
1974 1.40 trillion +2.2%
1975 1.44 trillion +2.4%
1976 1.44 trillion +0.0%
1977 1.46 trillion +1.8%
1978 1.49 trillion +1.8%
1979 1.50 trillion +0.8%
1980 1.52 trillion +1.5%
1981 1.55 trillion +1.6%
1982 1.58 trillion +2.3%
1983 1.63 trillion +3.0%
1984 1.66 trillion +1.5%
1985 1.73 trillion +4.8%
1986 1.81 trillion +4.6%
1987 1.85 trillion +2.0%
1988 1.89 trillion +2.0%
1989 1.94 trillion +3.1%
1990 2.00 trillion +2.7%
1991 2.03 trillion +1.7%
1992 2.05 trillion +0.7%
1993 2.04 trillion -0.1%
1994 2.06 trillion +0.5%
1995 2.06 trillion +0.3%
1996 2.07 trillion +0.5%
1997 2.11 trillion +1.8%
1998 2.15 trillion +1.9%
1999 2.21 trillion +2.8%
2000 2.24 trillion +1.5%
2001 2.32 trillion +3.6%
2002 2.41 trillion +3.8%
2003 2.45 trillion +1.7%
2004 2.49 trillion +1.5%
2005 2.51 trillion +0.8%
2006 2.54 trillion +1.2%
2007 2.58 trillion +1.6%
2008 2.64 trillion +2.4%
2009 2.76 trillion +4.2%
2010 2.76 trillion +0.0%
2011 2.67 trillion -3.1%
2012 2.63 trillion -1.5%
2013 2.58 trillion -1.9%
2014 2.56 trillion -0.8%
2015 2.60 trillion +1.7%
2016 2.65 trillion +1.8%
2017 2.65 trillion -0.1%
2018 2.68 trillion +1.4%
2019 2.79 trillion +3.9%
2020 2.87 trillion +3.0%
2021 2.89 trillion +0.5%
2022 2.85 trillion -1.3%
2023 2.93 trillion +3.0%
2024 3.03 trillion +3.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.42 trillion 1.37 trillion 1.50 trillion 10
1980s 1.72 trillion 1.52 trillion 1.94 trillion 10
1990s 2.08 trillion 2.00 trillion 2.21 trillion 10
2000s 2.49 trillion 2.24 trillion 2.76 trillion 10
2010s 2.66 trillion 2.56 trillion 2.79 trillion 10
2020s 2.92 trillion 2.85 trillion 3.03 trillion 5

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 2 Japan 999.41 billion compare
  2. 3 Germany 833.98 billion compare
  3. 4 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 683.00 billion compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More economy & growth data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America?
Government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America was 3.03 trillion in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest government expenditure vs gdp recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 3.03 trillion in 2024.
What is the lowest government expenditure vs gdp recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 1.37 trillion in 1973.
How does United States of America rank for government expenditure vs gdp?
United States of America ranks 1st out of 166 countries with data for 2024.
Is government expenditure vs gdp rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Government expenditure vs gdp. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure vs gdp in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-vs-gdp/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure vs gdp
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 7,062 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed