Government spending as share of GDP in Netherlands
Netherlands: Government spending as share of GDP was 44.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
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.
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
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP 11.2% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 3.3% (2025)
- GDP per capita 51,817 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 10.1% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 937.25 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 51,817 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 0.885 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -15.05 billion current LCU (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -17.01 billion current US$ (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 120.63 billion current LCU (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
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.