Historical gov spending gdp in Australia
Australia: Historical gov spending gdp 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
Historical gov spending gdp in Australia, 1901–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, historical gov spending gdp in Australia stood at 38.94.
That represents a change of up 3.7% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical gov spending gdp 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.
Historical gov spending gdp 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% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 38.94 is below the median for high income countries, which is 42.31, 92% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Australia's 38.94 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 30.81, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Historical gov spending gdp in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | +117.6% | 1.17 | 2.55 |
| 1960 | +95.5% | 11.17 | 21.83 |
| 1915 | +69.6% | 2.84 | 4.81 |
| 1941 | +68.8% | 7.07 | 11.93 |
| 1916 | +45.1% | 4.81 | 6.98 |
| 1943 | +44.0% | 16.94 | 24.39 |
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
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 96.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 15.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0083 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 537.43 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 10.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 392.43 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 2.82 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical gov spending gdp in Australia?
- Historical gov spending gdp in Australia was 38.94 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest historical gov spending gdp recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.44 in 2020.
- What is the lowest historical gov spending gdp recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.17 in 1901.
- How does Australia rank for historical gov spending gdp?
- Australia ranks 46th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is historical gov spending gdp 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 Historical gov spending gdp. 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).