Government spending as share of GDP in Romania
Romania: Government spending as share of GDP was 39.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending as share of GDP in Romania, 1962–2024
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 Romania is 39.9%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.0% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Romania peaked at 43.4% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 23.1%, in 1963.
That places Romania 41st 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 62 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Romania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 43.4% | — |
| 1963 | 23.1% | -46.7% |
| 1964 | 25.1% | +8.6% |
| 1965 | 25.6% | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 27.3% | +6.7% |
| 1967 | 30.6% | +11.8% |
| 1968 | 31.8% | +3.9% |
| 1969 | 32.1% | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 28.1% | -12.2% |
| 1971 | 27.2% | -3.3% |
| 1972 | 29.9% | +9.8% |
| 1973 | 32.6% | +9.0% |
| 1974 | 37.6% | +15.4% |
| 1975 | 40.6% | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 37.5% | -7.7% |
| 1977 | 39.9% | +6.6% |
| 1978 | 42.1% | +5.5% |
| 1979 | 42.0% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 33.6% | -19.9% |
| 1981 | 30.4% | -9.5% |
| 1982 | 28.5% | -6.5% |
| 1983 | 25.8% | -9.5% |
| 1984 | 28.6% | +11.2% |
| 1985 | 41.6% | +45.2% |
| 1986 | 42.5% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 40.7% | -4.1% |
| 1988 | 36.6% | -10.0% |
| 1989 | 40.1% | +9.5% |
| 1991 | 38.3% | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 41.5% | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 33.5% | -19.5% |
| 1994 | 33.1% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 34.4% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 33.5% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 33.5% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 34.7% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 35.1% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 35.0% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 33.2% | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 32.1% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 31.8% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 33.7% | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 32.3% | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 33.9% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 34.6% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 35.3% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 36.3% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 37.4% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 35.0% | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 33.5% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 34.2% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 33.8% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 34.2% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 31.8% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 31.0% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 31.7% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 33.2% | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 38.1% | +14.6% |
| 2021 | 37.0% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 37.4% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 36.6% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 39.9% | +9.0% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 39.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 42.3%, 94% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Romania's 39.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 44.4%, 90% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending as share of GDP in Romania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | -46.7% | 43.4% | 23.1% |
| 1985 | +45.2% | 28.6% | 41.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 29.9% | 23.1% | 43.4% | 8 |
| 1970s | 35.8% | 27.2% | 42.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.8% | 25.8% | 42.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.3% | 33.1% | 41.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 33.8% | 31.8% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.6% | 31.0% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.8% | 36.6% | 39.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More economy & growth data for Romania
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.82 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 803.14 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0019 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 42.23 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 9.37 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 30.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0219 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 492.84 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 23.51 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Romania?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Romania was 39.9% 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 Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 43.4% in 1962.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.1% in 1963.
- How does Romania rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Romania ranks 41st out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Romania 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 — 62 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.