Government spending as share of GDP in Germany
Germany: Government spending as share of GDP was 49.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending as share of GDP in Germany, 1880–2024
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 Germany is 49.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Germany peaked at 54.9% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 1880.
Germany ranks 13th of 151 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 119 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 13.1% | 10.3% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 1890s | 16.8% | 16.2% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 1900s | 18.1% | 16.4% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 1910s | 23.4% | 17.6% | 37.7% | 4 |
| 1920s | 13.5% | 12.2% | 14.3% | 5 |
| 1930s | 13.1% | 11.0% | 16.3% | 5 |
| 1950s | 29.5% | 27.2% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 28.3% | 22.9% | 29.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 45.5% | 39.5% | 50.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.0% | 44.3% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.2% | 44.7% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.4% | 43.5% | 48.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.2% | 44.5% | 47.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.6% | 48.1% | 51.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More economy & growth data for Germany
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP 2.4% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 2.2% (2025)
- GDP per capita 44,147 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 17.6% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 3.69 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 44,147 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 0.885 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -57.62 billion current LCU (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -65.12 billion current US$ (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 425.09 billion current LCU (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Germany?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Germany was 49.4% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 54.9% in 1995.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 1880.
- How does Germany rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Germany ranks 13th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 119 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.