Government spending as share of GDP in Spain
Spain: Government spending as share of GDP was 45.3% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Government spending as share of GDP in Spain, 1850–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending as share of gdp in Spain stood at 45.3%.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Spain peaked at 51.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 1873.
That places Spain 27th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 8.1% | 6.8% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 1860s | 12.1% | 9.6% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 1870s | 11.0% | 6.3% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 1880s | 9.2% | 8.1% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 1890s | 9.2% | 8.1% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 1900s | 8.7% | 8.3% | 9.1% | 10 |
| 1910s | 11.6% | 9.2% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 1920s | 13.4% | 10.4% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 1930s | 12.8% | 10.6% | 14.9% | 6 |
| 1940s | 17.4% | 11.1% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 1950s | 9.4% | 8.1% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.0% | 10.0% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.4% | 9.9% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.7% | 16.3% | 32.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.1% | 30.2% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.8% | 38.4% | 46.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.2% | 41.0% | 49.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.6% | 45.3% | 51.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More economy & growth data for Spain
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP 3.8% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 2.7% (2025)
- GDP per capita 29,763 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 10.6% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 1.47 trillion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 29,763 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 0.885 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -11.68 billion current LCU (2024)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) -12.64 billion current US$ (2024)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 158.34 billion current LCU (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Spain?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Spain was 45.3% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 51.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 1873.
- How does Spain rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Spain ranks 27th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Spain 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
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.