Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP in Canada
Canada: Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP was 5.87 Percentage of GDP in 2022. ▲ Rising
Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP in Canada, 1980–2022
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp in Canada is 5.87 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.2% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp in Canada peaked at 6.38 Percentage of GDP in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.35 Percentage of GDP, in 1980.
That places Canada 23rd out of 33 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP in Canada, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.35 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 1981 | 3.51 Percentage of GDP | +4.6% |
| 1982 | 3.78 Percentage of GDP | +7.6% |
| 1983 | 3.85 Percentage of GDP | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 3.94 Percentage of GDP | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 4.07 Percentage of GDP | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 4.19 Percentage of GDP | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 4.26 Percentage of GDP | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 4.25 Percentage of GDP | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 4.32 Percentage of GDP | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 4.51 Percentage of GDP | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 5 Percentage of GDP | +10.8% |
| 1992 | 5.18 Percentage of GDP | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 5.24 Percentage of GDP | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 5.17 Percentage of GDP | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 5.18 Percentage of GDP | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 5.21 Percentage of GDP | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 5.29 Percentage of GDP | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 5.16 Percentage of GDP | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 4.89 Percentage of GDP | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 4.96 Percentage of GDP | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 5.03 Percentage of GDP | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 4.99 Percentage of GDP | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 4.96 Percentage of GDP | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 4.91 Percentage of GDP | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 4.8 Percentage of GDP | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 4.75 Percentage of GDP | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 4.76 Percentage of GDP | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 4.89 Percentage of GDP | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 5.29 Percentage of GDP | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 5.11 Percentage of GDP | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 5.08 Percentage of GDP | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 5.26 Percentage of GDP | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 5.37 Percentage of GDP | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 5.42 Percentage of GDP | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 5.63 Percentage of GDP | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 5.67 Percentage of GDP | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 5.83 Percentage of GDP | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 5.95 Percentage of GDP | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 6.08 Percentage of GDP | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 6.38 Percentage of GDP | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 6.13 Percentage of GDP | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 5.87 Percentage of GDP | -4.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 5.87 Percentage of GDP is below the median for high income countries, which is 7.99 Percentage of GDP, 73% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.95 Percentage of GDP | 3.35 Percentage of GDP | 4.32 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.08 Percentage of GDP | 4.51 Percentage of GDP | 5.29 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.93 Percentage of GDP | 4.75 Percentage of GDP | 5.29 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.54 Percentage of GDP | 5.08 Percentage of GDP | 6.08 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.12 Percentage of GDP | 5.87 Percentage of GDP | 6.38 Percentage of GDP | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 20 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 7.07 Percentage of GDP compare
- 21 Switzerland 6.56 Percentage of GDP compare
- 22 Norway 6.46 Percentage of GDP compare
- 24 Colombia 5.7 Percentage of GDP compare
- 25 Mexico 5.32 Percentage of GDP compare
- 26 New Zealand 5.12 Percentage of GDP compare
More economy & growth data for Canada
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.8812 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 57.17 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0246 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,373 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 69.03 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 9.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0298 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,657 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 4.88 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp in Canada?
- Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp in Canada was 5.87 Percentage of GDP in 2022, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 6.38 Percentage of GDP in 2020.
- What is the lowest public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.35 Percentage of GDP in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp?
- Canada ranks 23rd out of 33 countries with data for 2022.
- Is public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP — Social expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) has been developed in order to serve a growing need for indicators of social policy. It includes reliable and internationally comparable statistics on public and mandatory and voluntary private social expenditure at programme level. SOCX provides a unique tool for monitoring trends in aggregate social expenditure and analysing changes in its composition. It covers 38 OECD countries and some accession countries for the period 1980-2021/23 and estimates for aggregates for 2022-24. A Social Expenditure Update can be found under www.oecd.org/en/data/datasets/social-expenditure-database-socx.htm. The main social policy areas are as follows: Old age, Survivors, Incapacity-related benefits, Health, Family, Active labor market programmes, Unemployment, Housing, and Other social policy areas. This version also includes estimates of net total social spending for 2021 for 38 OECD countries. SOCX aggregated data as well as sources and methodology are described in The OECD SOCX Manual – 2019 edition- A guide to the OECD Social Expenditure Database.