Government spending vs gdp per capita in Australia
Australia: Government spending vs gdp per capita was 38.94 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
38.94
Change on year
up 3.7%
World rank
46th
of 151 countries
All-time high
44.44
in 2020
All-time low
1.17
in 1901
Years of data
124
1901–2024
Government spending vs gdp per capita in Australia, 1901–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 38.94 for government spending vs gdp per capita in 2024.
The figure is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending vs gdp per capita in Australia peaked at 44.44 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.17, in 1901.
That places Australia 46th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government spending vs gdp per capita in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1.17 | — |
| 1902 | 2.55 | +117.6% |
| 1903 | 2.83 | +11.1% |
| 1904 | 2.59 | -8.4% |
| 1905 | 2.59 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 2.48 | -4.1% |
| 1907 | 2.37 | -4.4% |
| 1908 | 2.76 | +16.3% |
| 1909 | 2.43 | -12.1% |
| 1910 | 2.66 | +9.8% |
| 1911 | 2.68 | +0.4% |
| 1912 | 2.87 | +7.4% |
| 1913 | 2.74 | -4.6% |
| 1914 | 2.84 | +3.4% |
| 1915 | 4.81 | +69.6% |
| 1916 | 6.98 | +45.1% |
| 1917 | 8.61 | +23.4% |
| 1918 | 8.6 | -0.2% |
| 1919 | 9.43 | +9.7% |
| 1920 | 7.69 | -18.4% |
| 1921 | 6.64 | -13.8% |
| 1922 | 5.59 | -15.8% |
| 1923 | 4.64 | -17.0% |
| 1924 | 4.84 | +4.4% |
| 1925 | 4.32 | -10.7% |
| 1926 | 4.89 | +13.1% |
| 1927 | 4.78 | -2.2% |
| 1928 | 5 | +4.6% |
| 1929 | 5.02 | +0.4% |
| 1930 | 5.47 | +8.9% |
| 1931 | 6.39 | +16.9% |
| 1932 | 6.09 | -4.8% |
| 1933 | 5.58 | -8.4% |
| 1934 | 5.4 | -3.2% |
| 1935 | 5.49 | +1.7% |
| 1936 | 5.1 | -7.1% |
| 1937 | 4.9 | -3.9% |
| 1938 | 4.87 | -0.6% |
| 1939 | 5.39 | +10.5% |
| 1940 | 7.07 | +31.2% |
| 1941 | 11.93 | +68.8% |
| 1942 | 16.94 | +41.9% |
| 1943 | 24.39 | +44.0% |
| 1944 | 24.78 | +1.6% |
| 1945 | 22.62 | -8.7% |
| 1946 | 18.77 | -17.0% |
| 1947 | 15.38 | -18.1% |
| 1948 | 12.78 | -16.9% |
| 1949 | 12.72 | -0.5% |
| 1950 | 12.22 | -3.9% |
| 1951 | 13.17 | +7.8% |
| 1952 | 14.75 | +12.0% |
| 1953 | 13.27 | -10.0% |
| 1954 | 12.1 | -8.8% |
| 1955 | 11.77 | -2.8% |
| 1956 | 11.61 | -1.3% |
| 1957 | 12.01 | +3.4% |
| 1958 | 11.93 | -0.6% |
| 1959 | 11.17 | -6.4% |
| 1960 | 21.83 | +95.5% |
| 1961 | 23.34 | +6.9% |
| 1962 | 22.7 | -2.7% |
| 1963 | 22.96 | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 23.5 | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 25.83 | +9.9% |
| 1966 | 25.63 | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 26.37 | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 25.28 | -4.1% |
| 1969 | 24.71 | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 25.32 | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 26.05 | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 27.02 | +3.7% |
| 1973 | 26.59 | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 30.91 | +16.2% |
| 1975 | 33.03 | +6.9% |
| 1976 | 33.29 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 34.08 | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 33.21 | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 32.52 | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 33.21 | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 33.39 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 36.66 | +9.8% |
| 1983 | 37.04 | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 38.41 | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 38.73 | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 38.41 | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 36.04 | -6.2% |
| 1988 | 34.61 | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 34.45 | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 36.1 | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 38.09 | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 38.04 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 37.95 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 37.75 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 36.88 | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 36.05 | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 34.8 | -3.5% |
| 1998 | 35 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 34.53 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 35.63 | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 35.12 | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 34.46 | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 34.65 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 34.7 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 33.93 | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 33.74 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 33.61 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 36.08 | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 36.97 | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 37.16 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 36.31 | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 36.51 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 36.37 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 36.75 | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 37.26 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 37.29 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 36.78 | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 36.87 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 38.91 | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 44.44 | +14.2% |
| 2021 | 41.77 | -6.0% |
| 2022 | 37.56 | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 37.56 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 38.94 | +3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 2.42 | 1.17 | 2.83 | 9 |
| 1910s | 5.22 | 2.66 | 9.43 | 10 |
| 1920s | 5.34 | 4.32 | 7.69 | 10 |
| 1930s | 5.47 | 4.87 | 6.39 | 10 |
| 1940s | 16.74 | 7.07 | 24.78 | 10 |
| 1950s | 12.4 | 11.17 | 14.75 | 10 |
| 1960s | 24.22 | 21.83 | 26.37 | 10 |
| 1970s | 30.2 | 25.32 | 34.08 | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.1 | 33.21 | 38.73 | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.52 | 34.53 | 38.09 | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.89 | 33.61 | 36.97 | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.02 | 36.31 | 38.91 | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.06 | 37.56 | 44.44 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 43 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 39.84 compare
- 44 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 39.14 compare
- 45 Japan 39.1 compare
- 47 Ecuador 38.07 compare
- 48 Republic of Moldova 37.96 compare
- 49 United States 37.92 compare
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.36 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- GNI (current LCU), annual growth rate 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- GNI (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.5 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- GNI (current LCU), per capita 97,831 current LCU per person (2025)
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) (current US$), annual 18.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) (current LCU), annual 17.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current US$), annual growth rate 4.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current US$), per capita 4,169 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending vs gdp per capita in Australia?
- Government spending vs gdp per capita in Australia was 38.94 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending vs gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.44 in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending vs gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.17 in 1901.
- How does Australia rank for government spending vs gdp per capita?
- Australia ranks 46th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending vs gdp per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending vs gdp per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 124 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).