Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Australia
Australia: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 21.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
21.6%
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
68th
of 184 countries
All-time high
21.6%
in 2023
All-time low
7.8%
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Australia stood at 21.6%. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 45.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Australia peaked at 21.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.8%, in 1950.
That places Australia 68th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7.8% | — |
| 1951 | 9.7% | +23.8% |
| 1952 | 11.0% | +13.7% |
| 1953 | 9.5% | -13.2% |
| 1954 | 9.4% | -1.7% |
| 1955 | 9.2% | -1.7% |
| 1956 | 9.1% | -1.7% |
| 1957 | 9.3% | +3.0% |
| 1958 | 9.4% | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 8.8% | -6.6% |
| 1960 | 9.1% | +3.0% |
| 1961 | 9.3% | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 9.2% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 8.9% | -3.4% |
| 1964 | 9.4% | +5.1% |
| 1965 | 10.4% | +10.9% |
| 1966 | 10.5% | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 11.1% | +6.3% |
| 1968 | 10.8% | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 11.0% | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 11.2% | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 11.4% | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 11.5% | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 11.3% | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 12.7% | +12.9% |
| 1975 | 13.6% | +7.2% |
| 1976 | 13.1% | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 13.3% | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 13.1% | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 12.8% | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 13.0% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 12.9% | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 13.5% | +4.9% |
| 1983 | 13.2% | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 13.8% | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 13.9% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 14.6% | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 14.3% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 14.2% | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 14.4% | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 14.4% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 15.3% | +6.3% |
| 1992 | 15.1% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 15.3% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 15.6% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 15.6% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 15.1% | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 15.4% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 15.7% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 15.6% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 15.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 15.5% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 15.5% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 15.6% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 15.7% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 15.7% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 15.5% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 16.0% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 15.8% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 15.5% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 15.5% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 17.5% | +12.7% |
| 2016 | 17.4% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 17.6% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 19.3% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 20.8% | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 21.2% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 21.6% | +3.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.3% | 7.8% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 10.0% | 8.9% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.4% | 11.2% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.8% | 12.9% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.3% | 14.4% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 15.5% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 14.8% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.1% | 20.8% | 21.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.36 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.3592 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 23,391 current LCU per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 0.7921 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1832 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 11,934 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 3.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2433 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Australia?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Australia was 21.6% in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.8% in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Australia ranks 68th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.