Government spending as share of GDP in Brazil

Brazil: Government spending as share of GDP was 45.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
45.7%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
26th
of 151 countries
All-time high
46.2%
in 2015
All-time low
6.8%
in 1980
Years of data
136
1880–2024

Government spending as share of GDP in Brazil, 1880–2024

1020304050188019522024

Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government spending as share of gdp in Brazil is 45.7%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Brazil peaked at 46.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 1980.

Brazil ranks 26th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1880s 24.4% 21.7% 28.5% 10
1890s 15.4% 11.9% 25.7% 10
1900s 13.4% 10.3% 15.5% 10
1910s 14.0% 11.2% 16.3% 10
1920s 9.3% 7.2% 12.5% 10
1930s 11.0% 8.7% 15.9% 10
1940s 9.9% 7.2% 11.8% 10
1950s 8.1% 7.5% 8.9% 10
1960s 16.5% 11.2% 25.4% 10
1970s 10.8% 9.0% 12.6% 10
1980s 9.3% 6.8% 11.7% 7
1990s 39.3% 38.2% 40.9% 4
2000s 40.5% 34.5% 44.5% 10
2010s 42.3% 39.3% 46.2% 10
2020s 44.2% 40.4% 46.2% 5

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 23 Iceland 46.5% compare
  2. 24 Slovenia 46.5% compare
  3. 25 Maldives 46.1% compare
  4. 27 Spain 45.3% compare
  5. 28 Canada 44.7% compare
  6. 29 Latvia 44.5% compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More economy & growth data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending as share of gdp in Brazil?
Government spending as share of gdp in Brazil was 45.7% 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 recorded in Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 46.2% in 2015.
What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 1980.
How does Brazil rank for government spending as share of gdp?
Brazil ranks 26th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Brazil 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 136 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Government spending as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed

The 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.