Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Ireland
Ireland: Government spending by function as a share of GDP was 7.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Ireland, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending by function as a share of gdp in Ireland is 7.8%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.3% on the previous year and down 46.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function as a share of gdp in Ireland peaked at 17.7% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2022.
Ireland ranks 37th of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 12.8% | — |
| 2008 | 15.1% | +18.2% |
| 2009 | 17.7% | +17.0% |
| 2010 | 17.5% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 15.9% | -9.4% |
| 2012 | 15.7% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 14.7% | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 13.1% | -10.7% |
| 2015 | 9.8% | -25.4% |
| 2016 | 9.7% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 9.1% | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 9.6% | +12.9% |
| 2021 | 8.2% | -14.7% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | -11.0% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | +7.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.2% | 12.8% | 17.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.3% | 8.5% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 7.3% | 9.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 34 Chile 8.6% compare
- 35 Costa Rica 8.1% compare
- 36 United States 7.9% compare
More economy & growth data for Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.96 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 18.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9555 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 125,736 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 13.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.8456 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 111,273 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 12.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7548 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function as a share of gdp in Ireland?
- Government spending by function as a share of gdp in Ireland was 7.8% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2009.
- What is the lowest government spending by function as a share of gdp recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Ireland ranks 37th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function as a share of gdp rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.