Government spending as share of GDP in Netherlands
Netherlands: Government spending as share of GDP was 44.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
44.4%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
30th
of 151 countries
All-time high
59.1%
in 1983
All-time low
7.4%
in 1928
Years of data
127
1880–2024
Government spending as share of GDP in Netherlands, 1880–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 44.4% for government spending as share of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Netherlands peaked at 59.1% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 1928.
That places Netherlands 30th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government spending as share of GDP in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 9.6% | — |
| 1881 | 10.6% | +10.8% |
| 1882 | 10.7% | +0.5% |
| 1883 | 11.2% | +5.0% |
| 1884 | 10.9% | -2.8% |
| 1885 | 11.0% | +0.6% |
| 1886 | 11.5% | +4.9% |
| 1887 | 10.8% | -5.9% |
| 1888 | 11.4% | +4.7% |
| 1889 | 10.2% | -10.2% |
| 1890 | 13.9% | +36.6% |
| 1891 | 10.7% | -23.0% |
| 1892 | 12.9% | +19.8% |
| 1893 | 11.9% | -7.3% |
| 1894 | 11.3% | -5.2% |
| 1895 | 11.3% | -0.1% |
| 1896 | 11.0% | -2.2% |
| 1897 | 11.4% | +3.4% |
| 1898 | 11.3% | -0.5% |
| 1899 | 10.7% | -5.3% |
| 1900 | 11.0% | +2.3% |
| 1901 | 10.3% | -6.7% |
| 1902 | 10.7% | +3.9% |
| 1903 | 10.9% | +2.6% |
| 1904 | 10.8% | -0.9% |
| 1905 | 10.3% | -5.0% |
| 1906 | 9.8% | -4.3% |
| 1907 | 9.9% | +0.2% |
| 1908 | 10.4% | +5.4% |
| 1909 | 10.4% | -0.2% |
| 1910 | 10.2% | -1.2% |
| 1911 | 9.1% | -11.6% |
| 1912 | 9.3% | +2.8% |
| 1913 | 9.5% | +2.5% |
| 1923 | 8.6% | -10.2% |
| 1924 | 7.8% | -8.9% |
| 1925 | 7.7% | -1.7% |
| 1926 | 7.6% | -0.8% |
| 1927 | 7.9% | +3.7% |
| 1928 | 7.4% | -6.4% |
| 1929 | 8.1% | +9.5% |
| 1930 | 8.7% | +7.4% |
| 1931 | 10.9% | +25.5% |
| 1932 | 12.0% | +10.3% |
| 1933 | 11.9% | -1.3% |
| 1934 | 12.1% | +1.7% |
| 1935 | 11.8% | -2.5% |
| 1936 | 11.0% | -6.2% |
| 1937 | 9.9% | -10.2% |
| 1938 | 10.3% | +4.5% |
| 1939 | 13.3% | +28.2% |
| 1949 | 24.0% | +81.3% |
| 1950 | 24.0% | -0.3% |
| 1951 | 23.7% | -1.3% |
| 1952 | 23.0% | -2.8% |
| 1953 | 25.7% | +11.6% |
| 1954 | 22.6% | -11.8% |
| 1955 | 23.2% | +2.4% |
| 1956 | 22.5% | -2.9% |
| 1957 | 21.2% | -5.7% |
| 1958 | 20.9% | -1.4% |
| 1959 | 21.6% | +3.2% |
| 1960 | 20.4% | -5.6% |
| 1961 | 22.2% | +8.6% |
| 1962 | 22.1% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 21.9% | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 22.3% | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 23.4% | +5.0% |
| 1966 | 24.4% | +4.1% |
| 1967 | 24.1% | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 25.4% | +5.3% |
| 1969 | 42.1% | +65.6% |
| 1970 | 43.2% | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 44.6% | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 44.9% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 44.6% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 46.4% | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 50.8% | +9.4% |
| 1976 | 50.8% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 50.6% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 52.3% | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 53.7% | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 55.2% | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 56.8% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 59.1% | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 59.1% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 58.1% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 57.3% | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 57.0% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 58.5% | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 56.4% | -3.6% |
| 1989 | 54.5% | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 54.9% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 54.9% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 55.7% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 55.7% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 53.5% | -3.9% |
| 1995 | 56.4% | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 49.4% | -12.4% |
| 1997 | 47.5% | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 46.7% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 46.0% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 44.2% | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 45.4% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 46.2% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 47.1% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 46.1% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 44.8% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 45.5% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 45.3% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 46.2% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 51.5% | +11.5% |
| 2010 | 51.2% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 47.8% | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 47.6% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 47.5% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 46.7% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 45.3% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 43.9% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 42.8% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 42.4% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 42.1% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 47.8% | +13.6% |
| 2021 | 45.9% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 43.3% | -5.7% |
| 2023 | 44.0% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 44.4% | +0.9% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 44.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 42.3%, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 44.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 44.4%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending as share of GDP in Netherlands 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | +81.3% | 13.3% | 24.0% |
| 1969 | +65.6% | 25.4% | 42.1% |
| 1890 | +36.6% | 10.2% | 13.9% |
| 1939 | +28.2% | 10.3% | 13.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 10.8% | 9.6% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1890s | 11.7% | 10.7% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 1900s | 10.4% | 9.8% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1910s | 9.5% | 9.1% | 10.2% | 4 |
| 1920s | 7.9% | 7.4% | 8.6% | 7 |
| 1930s | 11.2% | 8.7% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 1940s | 24.0% | 24.0% | 24.0% | 1 |
| 1950s | 22.8% | 20.9% | 25.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 24.8% | 20.4% | 42.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.2% | 43.2% | 53.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.2% | 54.5% | 59.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.1% | 46.0% | 56.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.2% | 44.2% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.7% | 42.1% | 51.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.1% | 43.3% | 47.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More economy & growth data for Netherlands
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -5.93 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0049 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -329.49 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -17.06 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 95.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0141 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -948.01 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 49.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0886 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 6,527 includes gold, current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Netherlands?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Netherlands was 44.4% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 59.1% in 1983.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 1928.
- How does Netherlands rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Netherlands ranks 30th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Netherlands 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 — 127 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.