Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP in Germany
Germany: Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP was 10.79 Percentage of GDP in 2021. ▬ Flat
Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP in Germany, 1980–2021
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 Germany is 10.79 Percentage of GDP, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp in Germany peaked at 11.36 Percentage of GDP in 2003 and was at its lowest, 9.13 Percentage of GDP, in 1991.
That places Germany 8th out of 33 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % GDP in Germany, year by year
| Year | Percentage of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.38 Percentage of GDP | — |
| 1981 | 10.41 Percentage of GDP | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 10.54 Percentage of GDP | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 10.47 Percentage of GDP | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 10.4 Percentage of GDP | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 10.29 Percentage of GDP | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 10.15 Percentage of GDP | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 10.31 Percentage of GDP | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 10.21 Percentage of GDP | -0.9% |
| 1989 | 9.92 Percentage of GDP | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 9.47 Percentage of GDP | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 9.13 Percentage of GDP | -3.6% |
| 1992 | 9.48 Percentage of GDP | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 9.82 Percentage of GDP | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 10.03 Percentage of GDP | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 10.45 Percentage of GDP | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 10.67 Percentage of GDP | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 10.8 Percentage of GDP | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 10.88 Percentage of GDP | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 10.85 Percentage of GDP | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 10.94 Percentage of GDP | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 10.97 Percentage of GDP | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 11.19 Percentage of GDP | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 11.36 Percentage of GDP | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 11.23 Percentage of GDP | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 11.18 Percentage of GDP | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 10.78 Percentage of GDP | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 10.37 Percentage of GDP | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 10.36 Percentage of GDP | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 11.03 Percentage of GDP | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 10.71 Percentage of GDP | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 10.27 Percentage of GDP | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 10.27 Percentage of GDP | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10.2 Percentage of GDP | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 10.11 Percentage of GDP | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 10.22 Percentage of GDP | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 10.24 Percentage of GDP | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 10.26 Percentage of GDP | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 10.29 Percentage of GDP | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 10.5 Percentage of GDP | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 11.21 Percentage of GDP | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 10.79 Percentage of GDP | -3.8% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 10.79 Percentage of GDP is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.85 Percentage of GDP, 1.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Germany's 10.79 Percentage of GDP is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.99 Percentage of GDP, 1.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.31 Percentage of GDP | 9.92 Percentage of GDP | 10.54 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.16 Percentage of GDP | 9.13 Percentage of GDP | 10.88 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.94 Percentage of GDP | 10.36 Percentage of GDP | 11.36 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.31 Percentage of GDP | 10.11 Percentage of GDP | 10.71 Percentage of GDP | 10 |
| 2020s | 11 Percentage of GDP | 10.79 Percentage of GDP | 11.21 Percentage of GDP | 2 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 5 Lithuania 6.5 Percentage of GDP compare
- 5 Portugal 12.92 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Netherlands 6.44 Percentage of GDP compare
- 6 Spain 12.28 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Finland 12.18 Percentage of GDP compare
- 7 Türkiye 6.08 Percentage of GDP compare
- 9 Belgium 10.72 Percentage of GDP compare
- 10 Japan 9.15 Percentage of GDP compare
- 11 Bulgaria 8.9 Percentage of GDP compare
More economy & growth data for Germany
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7761 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.6565 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 108.13 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0214 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,295 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 95.19 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 51.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0188 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,140 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 51.4 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp in Germany?
- Public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp in Germany was 10.79 Percentage of GDP in 2021, 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 11.36 Percentage of GDP in 2003.
- What is the lowest public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.13 Percentage of GDP in 1991.
- How does Germany rank for public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp?
- Germany ranks 8th out of 33 countries with data for 2021.
- Is public expenditure on old-age and survivors cash benefits in % gdp rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Germany 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.