Government spending as share of GDP in Poland
Poland: Government spending as share of GDP was 49.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending as share of GDP in Poland, 1950–2024
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 Poland is 49.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Poland peaked at 50.6% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 21.6%, in 1950.
That places Poland 14th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 60 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Poland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 21.6% | — |
| 1951 | 22.2% | +2.7% |
| 1952 | 25.2% | +13.2% |
| 1953 | 35.8% | +42.1% |
| 1954 | 39.2% | +9.7% |
| 1955 | 47.1% | +20.1% |
| 1956 | 44.0% | -6.5% |
| 1957 | 39.9% | -9.5% |
| 1958 | 39.9% | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 39.4% | -1.1% |
| 1960 | 39.2% | -0.6% |
| 1961 | 42.8% | +9.2% |
| 1962 | 43.0% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 33.3% | -22.5% |
| 1964 | 33.5% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 31.8% | -5.4% |
| 1966 | 31.7% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 29.6% | -6.7% |
| 1968 | 27.3% | -7.7% |
| 1969 | 26.3% | -3.9% |
| 1970 | 25.8% | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 24.1% | -6.6% |
| 1972 | 24.1% | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 24.5% | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 28.6% | +17.0% |
| 1975 | 34.1% | +19.2% |
| 1976 | 34.8% | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 35.6% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 35.8% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 35.6% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 47.3% | +33.0% |
| 1996 | 50.6% | +6.9% |
| 1997 | 46.0% | -9.1% |
| 1998 | 43.9% | -4.5% |
| 1999 | 42.4% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 42.9% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 44.6% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 44.9% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 45.3% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 43.4% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 44.1% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 44.3% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 42.8% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 44.0% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 44.9% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 46.0% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 44.1% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 43.2% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 43.2% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 42.7% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 41.5% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 41.1% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 41.1% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 41.0% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 41.4% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 47.7% | +15.2% |
| 2021 | 43.6% | -8.7% |
| 2022 | 43.2% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 46.9% | +8.4% |
| 2024 | 49.4% | +5.4% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 49.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 42.3%, 1.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Poland's 49.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 44.4%, 1.1× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending as share of GDP in Poland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | +42.1% | 25.2% | 35.8% |
| 1995 | +33.0% | 35.6% | 47.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 35.4% | 21.6% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 33.9% | 26.3% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 30.3% | 24.1% | 35.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.0% | 42.4% | 50.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 44.1% | 42.8% | 45.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.5% | 41.0% | 46.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.2% | 43.2% | 49.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More economy & growth data for Poland
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 8.38 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0081 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 229.86 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 20.03 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -2.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0193 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 549.65 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 21.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2625 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 7,460 includes gold, current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Poland?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Poland 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 50.6% in 1996.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.6% in 1950.
- How does Poland rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Poland ranks 14th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Poland 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.