Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Portugal
Portugal: Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita was 42.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
42.8%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
36th
of 151 countries
All-time high
51.7%
in 2014
All-time low
6.0%
in 1882
Years of data
142
1880–2024
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Portugal, 1880–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Portugal stood at 42.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Portugal peaked at 51.7% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1882.
Portugal ranks 36th of 151 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 6.7% | — |
| 1881 | 6.6% | -2.4% |
| 1882 | 6.0% | -9.0% |
| 1883 | 6.5% | +9.1% |
| 1884 | 7.1% | +8.8% |
| 1885 | 7.2% | +1.3% |
| 1886 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
| 1887 | 6.8% | -4.9% |
| 1888 | 8.0% | +17.2% |
| 1889 | 7.7% | -3.1% |
| 1890 | 8.0% | +3.7% |
| 1891 | 7.7% | -4.2% |
| 1892 | 6.9% | -10.1% |
| 1893 | 6.5% | -5.5% |
| 1894 | 7.0% | +6.4% |
| 1895 | 7.0% | +0.6% |
| 1896 | 7.6% | +9.2% |
| 1897 | 7.2% | -6.2% |
| 1898 | 7.0% | -2.9% |
| 1899 | 7.4% | +6.6% |
| 1900 | 7.0% | -6.0% |
| 1901 | 7.2% | +3.6% |
| 1902 | 7.4% | +1.9% |
| 1903 | 7.8% | +5.5% |
| 1904 | 7.3% | -6.6% |
| 1905 | 7.9% | +8.2% |
| 1906 | 7.8% | -1.4% |
| 1907 | 8.6% | +10.3% |
| 1908 | 8.1% | -5.0% |
| 1909 | 8.6% | +6.1% |
| 1910 | 7.5% | -12.4% |
| 1911 | 8.0% | +5.5% |
| 1912 | 9.0% | +12.8% |
| 1913 | 7.9% | -11.6% |
| 1917 | 11.3% | +42.4% |
| 1918 | 14.1% | +24.7% |
| 1919 | 14.1% | -0.1% |
| 1920 | 12.1% | -14.0% |
| 1921 | 12.9% | +6.0% |
| 1922 | 17.5% | +36.2% |
| 1923 | 11.4% | -35.0% |
| 1924 | 10.6% | -6.5% |
| 1925 | 10.1% | -4.7% |
| 1926 | 11.6% | +14.4% |
| 1927 | 9.8% | -15.3% |
| 1928 | 8.7% | -11.4% |
| 1929 | 8.3% | -4.7% |
| 1930 | 7.9% | -5.1% |
| 1931 | 8.7% | +10.5% |
| 1932 | 9.0% | +3.0% |
| 1933 | 9.0% | +0.2% |
| 1934 | 8.4% | -6.1% |
| 1935 | 8.6% | +2.0% |
| 1936 | 8.6% | +0.5% |
| 1937 | 9.2% | +6.1% |
| 1938 | 9.2% | +0.5% |
| 1939 | 9.2% | -0.1% |
| 1940 | 10.3% | +12.0% |
| 1941 | 9.1% | -11.5% |
| 1942 | 9.6% | +5.2% |
| 1943 | 8.6% | -10.2% |
| 1944 | 9.8% | +14.3% |
| 1945 | 10.9% | +11.0% |
| 1946 | 12.0% | +9.9% |
| 1947 | 10.9% | -9.7% |
| 1948 | 10.6% | -2.5% |
| 1949 | 9.4% | -11.7% |
| 1950 | 9.8% | +4.9% |
| 1951 | 9.0% | -8.3% |
| 1952 | 9.6% | +7.0% |
| 1953 | 10.0% | +4.0% |
| 1954 | 10.3% | +3.5% |
| 1955 | 10.2% | -1.3% |
| 1956 | 10.4% | +1.4% |
| 1957 | 10.3% | -0.6% |
| 1958 | 10.8% | +5.3% |
| 1959 | 11.9% | +9.7% |
| 1960 | 14.3% | +19.8% |
| 1961 | 14.6% | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 14.5% | -0.8% |
| 1963 | 14.6% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 13.9% | -5.3% |
| 1965 | 13.4% | -3.2% |
| 1966 | 14.4% | +7.6% |
| 1967 | 14.1% | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 14.3% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 14.9% | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 15.5% | +4.0% |
| 1971 | 15.5% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 22.8% | +47.7% |
| 1973 | 25.7% | +12.7% |
| 1974 | 25.8% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 31.9% | +23.4% |
| 1976 | 38.2% | +19.8% |
| 1977 | 35.1% | -8.1% |
| 1978 | 31.7% | -9.5% |
| 1979 | 30.8% | -2.9% |
| 1980 | 32.4% | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 35.3% | +9.2% |
| 1982 | 35.8% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 34.7% | -2.9% |
| 1984 | 34.6% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 37.5% | +8.4% |
| 1986 | 38.9% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 37.5% | -3.6% |
| 1988 | 36.2% | -3.6% |
| 1989 | 36.2% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 38.5% | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 41.4% | +7.5% |
| 1992 | 42.5% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 44.1% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 42.5% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 41.5% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 42.1% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 41.1% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 40.8% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 41.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 41.1% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 42.5% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 42.3% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 43.8% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 44.7% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 45.8% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 44.5% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 44.4% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 44.8% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 49.9% | +11.3% |
| 2010 | 51.3% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 50.0% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 48.8% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 50.0% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 51.7% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 48.2% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 44.9% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 45.5% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 43.3% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 42.5% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 49.1% | +15.6% |
| 2021 | 47.3% | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 43.9% | -7.3% |
| 2023 | 42.3% | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 42.8% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 7.0% | 6.0% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1890s | 7.2% | 6.5% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 1900s | 7.8% | 7.0% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 1910s | 10.3% | 7.5% | 14.1% | 7 |
| 1920s | 11.3% | 8.3% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 1930s | 8.8% | 7.9% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 1940s | 10.1% | 8.6% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 1950s | 10.2% | 9.0% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 14.3% | 13.4% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.3% | 15.5% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.9% | 32.4% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.6% | 38.5% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.4% | 41.1% | 49.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.6% | 42.5% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.1% | 42.3% | 49.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 33 Estonia 43.6% compare
- 34 Bosnia and Herzegovina 43.3% compare
- 35 Saint Kitts and Nevis 43.2% compare
- 37 Czechia 42.8% compare
- 38 New Zealand 41.9% compare
- 39 Vanuatu 41.1% compare
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)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 5.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7678 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 24,634 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 1.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.6166 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per 19,781 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant LCU), annual growth 1.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant LCU), per unit of 0.6088 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Portugal?
- Government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita in Portugal was 42.8% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 51.7% in 2014.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1882.
- How does Portugal rank for government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Portugal ranks 36th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Portugal data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.