Historical gov spending gdp in United States

United States: Historical gov spending gdp was 37.92 in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
37.92
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
49th
of 151 countries
All-time high
44.72
in 2020
All-time low
8.3
in 1929
Years of data
96
1929–2024

Historical gov spending gdp in United States, 1929–2024

10203040192919762024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

United States recorded 37.92 for historical gov spending gdp in 2024.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, historical gov spending gdp in United States peaked at 44.72 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.3, in 1929.

United States ranks 49th of 151 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 96 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 8.3 8.3 8.3 1
1930s 16.12 9.9 19.44 10
1940s 25.57 16.52 36.61 10
1950s 23.89 22.15 25.73 10
1960s 26.67 24.9 29.32 10
1970s 32.88 31.45 35.22 10
1980s 34.44 33.69 35.81 10
1990s 34.75 32.17 36.74 10
2000s 34.67 31.73 41.4 10
2010s 36.36 35.03 39.76 10
2020s 40.06 36.79 44.72 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 46 Australia 38.94 compare
  2. 47 Ecuador 38.07 compare
  3. 48 Moldova 37.96 compare
  4. 50 Mongolia 37.5 compare
  5. 51 Grenada 37.09 compare
  6. 52 Russia 36.87 compare

See the full ranking of 151 places β†’

More economy & growth data for United States

All data for United States β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is historical gov spending gdp in United States?
Historical gov spending gdp in United States was 37.92 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest historical gov spending gdp recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 44.72 in 2020.
What is the lowest historical gov spending gdp recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 8.3 in 1929.
How does United States rank for historical gov spending gdp?
United States ranks 49th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
Is historical gov spending gdp rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Historical gov spending gdp. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Historical gov spending gdp in United States. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/historical-gov-spending-gdp/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Historical gov spending gdp
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed