Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 24.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
24.0%
Change on year
up 12.3%
World rank
51st
of 184 countries
All-time high
30.7%
in 1991
All-time low
5.7%
in 1974
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2023
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 Saudi Arabia stood at 24.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.3% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Saudi Arabia peaked at 30.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1974.
That places Saudi Arabia 51st 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 54 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 13.7% | — |
| 1971 | 11.3% | -17.7% |
| 1972 | 11.1% | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 12.0% | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 5.7% | -52.4% |
| 1975 | 10.9% | +92.0% |
| 1976 | 12.0% | +9.9% |
| 1977 | 14.2% | +17.7% |
| 1978 | 18.1% | +27.4% |
| 1979 | 15.6% | -13.7% |
| 1980 | 10.8% | -30.9% |
| 1981 | 13.9% | +29.1% |
| 1982 | 19.8% | +42.5% |
| 1983 | 22.8% | +15.3% |
| 1984 | 23.4% | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 26.9% | +15.2% |
| 1986 | 30.2% | +12.1% |
| 1987 | 30.4% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 26.9% | -11.7% |
| 1989 | 29.6% | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 24.4% | -17.8% |
| 1991 | 30.7% | +26.0% |
| 1992 | 22.3% | -27.3% |
| 1993 | 20.8% | -6.6% |
| 1994 | 20.0% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 19.2% | -4.4% |
| 1996 | 19.5% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 21.6% | +10.6% |
| 1998 | 23.3% | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 20.2% | -13.4% |
| 2000 | 21.2% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 23.0% | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 20.7% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 20.6% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 18.2% | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 18.7% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 19.0% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 17.3% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 21.1% | +21.6% |
| 2010 | 19.9% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 19.9% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 22.2% | +11.3% |
| 2013 | 25.1% | +12.9% |
| 2014 | 25.4% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 27.1% | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 23.2% | -14.5% |
| 2017 | 21.3% | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 21.8% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 21.4% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | +22.9% |
| 2021 | 21.7% | -17.3% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 24.0% | +12.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.5% | 5.7% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.5% | 10.8% | 30.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.2% | 19.2% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.9% | 17.3% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.7% | 19.9% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.3% | 21.3% | 26.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More economy & growth data for Saudi Arabia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), annual growth rate 5.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3601 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per capita 12,436 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) -1.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.2061 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 7,118 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) -1.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 0.7729 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in Saudi Arabia was 24.0% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1974.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 51st out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.