Government spending as share of GDP in Congo
Congo: Government spending as share of GDP was 21.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government spending as share of GDP in Congo, 1989–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Congo recorded 21.7% for government spending as share of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of up 4.7% on the previous year and down 55.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Congo peaked at 48.6% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 1996.
That places Congo 112th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Congo, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 20.3% | — |
| 1990 | 30.4% | +50.0% |
| 1991 | 34.1% | +12.0% |
| 1992 | 32.8% | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 32.8% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 30.7% | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 27.6% | -10.2% |
| 1996 | 15.7% | -43.0% |
| 1997 | 22.2% | +41.2% |
| 1998 | 25.1% | +12.9% |
| 1999 | 28.8% | +14.7% |
| 2000 | 22.6% | -21.2% |
| 2001 | 29.1% | +28.4% |
| 2002 | 32.1% | +10.5% |
| 2003 | 27.0% | -15.9% |
| 2004 | 24.4% | -9.7% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 26.6% | +20.4% |
| 2007 | 28.6% | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 24.2% | -15.4% |
| 2009 | 24.4% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 23.0% | -5.9% |
| 2011 | 27.9% | +21.2% |
| 2012 | 30.7% | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 42.4% | +38.3% |
| 2014 | 48.6% | +14.6% |
| 2015 | 41.3% | -15.0% |
| 2016 | 38.8% | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 26.6% | -31.5% |
| 2018 | 17.8% | -33.1% |
| 2019 | 20.2% | +13.3% |
| 2020 | 21.1% | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 22.8% | +9.1% |
| 2023 | 20.7% | -9.5% |
| 2024 | 21.7% | +4.7% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 21.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.3%, 93% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Congo's 21.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.6%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.3% | 20.3% | 20.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 28.0% | 15.7% | 34.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.1% | 22.1% | 32.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.7% | 17.8% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.4% | 20.7% | 22.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More economy & growth data for Congo
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.79 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.01 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 25.39 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0016 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 4.01 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 603.62 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -3.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0384 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 95.31 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 6.03 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Congo?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Congo was 21.7% 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 48.6% in 2014.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 1996.
- How does Congo rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Congo ranks 112th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Congo 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.
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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.