Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Canada
Canada: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 21.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
21.2%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
71st
of 184 countries
All-time high
21.5%
in 2020
All-time low
8.7%
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Canada, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Canada is 21.2%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 29.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Canada peaked at 21.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 1950.
That places Canada 71st 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 Canada, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8.7% | — |
| 1951 | 11.3% | +29.1% |
| 1952 | 12.9% | +14.3% |
| 1953 | 12.8% | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 12.4% | -2.7% |
| 1955 | 12.0% | -3.7% |
| 1956 | 11.4% | -4.6% |
| 1957 | 11.1% | -2.8% |
| 1958 | 11.3% | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 10.8% | -4.6% |
| 1960 | 10.8% | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 12.0% | +10.6% |
| 1962 | 11.7% | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 11.6% | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 11.5% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 11.6% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 12.0% | +3.9% |
| 1967 | 13.0% | +7.6% |
| 1968 | 13.3% | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 13.3% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 14.2% | +6.5% |
| 1971 | 14.2% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 14.1% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 13.7% | -2.6% |
| 1974 | 14.3% | +4.2% |
| 1975 | 15.2% | +6.0% |
| 1976 | 14.6% | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 14.8% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 14.3% | -3.3% |
| 1979 | 13.7% | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 13.9% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 14.7% | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 16.0% | +9.3% |
| 1983 | 16.4% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 16.5% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 17.5% | +6.1% |
| 1986 | 18.1% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 17.4% | -3.8% |
| 1988 | 17.1% | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 17.0% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 16.7% | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 17.8% | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 17.6% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 17.5% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 16.6% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 15.6% | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 14.6% | -6.2% |
| 1997 | 14.8% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 15.3% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 15.2% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 14.7% | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 15.2% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 15.2% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 15.3% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 15.0% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 15.4% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 15.8% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 18.1% | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 17.5% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 16.6% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 16.8% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 16.3% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 16.3% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | +10.2% |
| 2016 | 19.1% | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 19.7% | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 19.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 19.4% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 21.5% | +11.0% |
| 2021 | 21.2% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 21.0% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.5% | 8.7% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.1% | 10.8% | 13.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.3% | 13.7% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.5% | 13.9% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.2% | 14.6% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 14.7% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.9% | 16.3% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.2% | 21.0% | 21.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
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)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 2.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2315 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 12,896 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 4.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.3237 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 18,031 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1752 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Canada?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Canada was 21.2% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 21.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 1950.
- How does Canada rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Canada ranks 71st out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.
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About this data
Government consumption divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.