Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Italy
Italy: Government spending by function as a share of GDP was 21.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Italy, 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 Italy is 21.0%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function as a share of gdp in Italy peaked at 25.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.3%, in 2007.
Italy ranks 4th 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 Italy, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 17.3% | — |
| 2008 | 17.9% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 19.7% | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 19.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 20.2% | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 20.8% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 21.0% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 20.8% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 20.6% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 20.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 21.0% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 25.0% | +18.9% |
| 2021 | 22.6% | -9.5% |
| 2022 | 21.4% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 21.0% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.3% | 17.3% | 19.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 19.5% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.5% | 21.0% | 25.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More economy & growth data for Italy
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.18 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.8337 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 6.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.8922 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 38,640 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 2.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7896 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 34,195 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 0.4063 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7216 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function as a share of gdp in Italy?
- Government spending by function as a share of gdp in Italy was 21.0% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 25.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending by function as a share of gdp recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.3% in 2007.
- How does Italy rank for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Italy ranks 4th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function as a share of gdp rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.