Government spending as share of GDP in Ecuador
Ecuador: Government spending as share of GDP was 38.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending as share of GDP in Ecuador, 1995–2024
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 Ecuador is 38.1%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Ecuador peaked at 46.7% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2003.
That places Ecuador 47th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 22.0% | — |
| 1996 | 22.7% | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 22.0% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 21.5% | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 24.1% | +12.1% |
| 2000 | 24.3% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 21.4% | -11.8% |
| 2002 | 22.8% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 21.3% | -6.6% |
| 2004 | 21.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 22.0% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 21.7% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 24.7% | +13.6% |
| 2008 | 35.6% | +44.2% |
| 2009 | 34.3% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 35.4% | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 39.6% | +11.9% |
| 2012 | 43.2% | +9.0% |
| 2013 | 46.7% | +8.3% |
| 2014 | 45.9% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 44.1% | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 44.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 40.5% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 40.9% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 39.8% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 40.2% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 37.5% | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 38.9% | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 39.5% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 38.1% | -3.5% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 38.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.9%, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 38.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 27.1%, 1.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending as share of GDP in Ecuador 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +44.2% | 24.7% | 35.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.5% | 21.5% | 24.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 24.9% | 21.3% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.0% | 35.4% | 46.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.8% | 37.5% | 40.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More economy & growth data for Ecuador
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.54 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.51 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 0 BoP, current US$ (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0 BoP, current US$ per person (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.30 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 191.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.01 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 71.04 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 41.84 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Ecuador?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Ecuador was 38.1% 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 46.7% in 2013.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2003.
- How does Ecuador rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Ecuador ranks 47th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ecuador 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
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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.