Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Portugal
Portugal: Government spending by function as a share of GDP was 16.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function as a share of GDP in Portugal, 2007–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 16.4% for government spending by function as a share of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 15.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function as a share of gdp in Portugal peaked at 19.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2007.
Portugal ranks 17th of 37 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 14.9% | — |
| 2008 | 15.2% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 17.2% | +13.1% |
| 2010 | 17.4% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 18.0% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 18.5% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 19.5% | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 19.1% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 18.6% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 17.0% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 16.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 19.0% | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 18.1% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 17.5% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 16.4% | -6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.8% | 14.9% | 17.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 16.9% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.7% | 16.4% | 19.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More economy & growth data for Portugal
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.18 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.9 Percent per annum (2029)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 1.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.1382 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 4,435 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 1.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 0.1309 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 4,199 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 10.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.6655 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function as a share of gdp in Portugal?
- Government spending by function as a share of gdp in Portugal was 16.4% 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest government spending by function as a share of gdp recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2007.
- How does Portugal rank for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- Portugal ranks 17th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function as a share of gdp rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal 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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About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.