Government spending by function as a share of GDP in United States
United States: Government spending by function as a share of GDP was 7.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending by function as a share of GDP in United States, 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 United States is 7.9%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 5.5% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending by function as a share of gdp in United States peaked at 12.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 2007.
United States ranks 36th of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 United States, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 6.7% | — |
| 2008 | 7.7% | +14.9% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | +12.1% |
| 2010 | 9.0% | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 8.6% | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 7.8% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 7.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 7.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 7.6% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | +58.4% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 8.3% | -30.5% |
| 2023 | 7.9% | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.7% | 6.7% | 8.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 7.5% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.0% | 7.9% | 12.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 33 South Korea 9.3% compare
- 34 Chile 8.6% compare
- 35 Costa Rica 8.1% compare
- 37 Ireland 7.8% compare
More economy & growth data for United States
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 9.94 % change on previous year (2021)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.7626 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 54,478 current US$ per person (2021)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 9.94 % change on previous year (2021)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7626 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Services, value added (current LCU), per capita 54,478 current LCU per person (2021)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 2.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 10.53 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending by function as a share of gdp in United States?
- Government spending by function as a share of gdp in United States was 7.9% 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 12.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending by function as a share of gdp recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 2007.
- How does United States rank for government spending by function as a share of gdp?
- United States ranks 36th out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending by function as a share of gdp rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.