Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Denmark
Denmark: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 20.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
20.3%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
83rd
of 184 countries
All-time high
27.8%
in 1981
All-time low
12.6%
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Denmark, 1950–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Denmark recorded 20.3% for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Denmark peaked at 27.8% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 12.6%, in 1950.
Denmark ranks 83rd of 184 countries on this measure, 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 Denmark, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.6% | — |
| 1951 | 14.3% | +13.5% |
| 1952 | 14.9% | +3.9% |
| 1953 | 15.2% | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 15.5% | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 16.0% | +3.3% |
| 1956 | 15.8% | -0.9% |
| 1957 | 15.7% | -0.6% |
| 1958 | 15.6% | -0.9% |
| 1959 | 15.4% | -1.3% |
| 1960 | 15.5% | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 15.5% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 16.0% | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 16.3% | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 16.4% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 16.4% | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 17.2% | +5.2% |
| 1967 | 17.8% | +3.1% |
| 1968 | 18.0% | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 18.4% | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 19.5% | +5.9% |
| 1971 | 20.3% | +4.3% |
| 1972 | 20.6% | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 20.2% | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 21.5% | +6.6% |
| 1975 | 21.8% | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 22.0% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 22.4% | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 23.6% | +5.5% |
| 1979 | 24.5% | +3.9% |
| 1980 | 26.6% | +8.3% |
| 1981 | 27.8% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 27.6% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 26.5% | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 24.9% | -6.0% |
| 1985 | 24.3% | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 22.9% | -5.5% |
| 1987 | 22.8% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 22.3% | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 21.7% | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 19.8% | -8.9% |
| 1991 | 19.6% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 19.0% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 19.7% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 18.8% | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 18.3% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 17.9% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 18.5% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 19.2% | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 19.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 19.3% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 20.2% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 21.5% | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 20.1% | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 19.3% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 17.1% | -11.6% |
| 2006 | 17.9% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | +9.8% |
| 2008 | 20.9% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +9.0% |
| 2010 | 21.9% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 21.8% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 21.4% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 21.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 22.4% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 22.6% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 22.1% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 22.0% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 21.6% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 21.6% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 21.8% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 21.4% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | -6.1% |
| 2023 | 20.3% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 15.1% | 12.6% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 16.8% | 15.5% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.6% | 19.5% | 24.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.7% | 21.7% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.0% | 17.9% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.9% | 17.1% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.9% | 21.4% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 20.1% | 21.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 80 Congo 20.4% compare
- 81 El Salvador 20.4% compare
- 82 Iraq 20.3% compare
- 84 Morocco 20.3% compare
- 85 Tajikistan 20.2% compare
- 86 Palestine, State of 20.2% compare
More economy & growth data for Denmark
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.9574 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -3.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1724 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 13,269 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 5.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5911 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 45,493 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 1.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 3.91 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Denmark?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Denmark was 20.3% 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 1981.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.6% in 1950.
- How does Denmark rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Denmark ranks 83rd out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark 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.