Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Finland
Finland: Government spending by function as a share of GDP was 25.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Finland, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Finland recorded 25.7% for government spending by function as a share of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.8% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function as a share of gdp in Finland peaked at 25.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.0%, in 2007.
Finland ranks 1st of 37 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Finland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 19.0% | — |
| 2008 | 19.3% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 22.5% | +16.8% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 22.5% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 23.7% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 24.7% | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 25.3% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 25.8% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 24.8% | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 24.5% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 25.8% | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 25.0% | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 23.8% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 25.7% | +7.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.3% | 19.0% | 22.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 24.4% | 22.5% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.1% | 23.8% | 25.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More economy & growth data for Finland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.51 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 5.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.8723 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 48,978 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 1.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7719 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 43,344 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 0.2034 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7007 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function as a share of gdp in Finland?
- Government spending by function as a share of gdp in Finland was 25.7% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending by function as a share of gdp recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 25.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending by function as a share of gdp recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.0% in 2007.
- How does Finland rank for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Finland ranks 1st out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function as a share of gdp rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending by function as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.