Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 9.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
9.8%
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
168th
of 184 countries
All-time high
12.4%
in 2020
All-time low
4.6%
in 2007
Years of data
38
1986–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in United Arab Emirates, 1986–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. - Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
United Arab Emirates recorded 9.8% for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in United Arab Emirates peaked at 12.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2007.
That places United Arab Emirates 168th out of 184 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 6.4% | — |
| 1987 | 7.0% | +9.6% |
| 1988 | 6.6% | -6.3% |
| 1989 | 5.9% | -10.8% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | -18.8% |
| 1991 | 5.3% | +11.5% |
| 1992 | 5.5% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 6.6% | +21.1% |
| 1994 | 6.4% | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 6.1% | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 5.7% | -6.5% |
| 1997 | 6.3% | +11.4% |
| 1998 | 7.2% | +13.6% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 6.5% | -8.8% |
| 2001 | 6.9% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 7.2% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 7.2% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 5.8% | -13.4% |
| 2006 | 4.9% | -15.5% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 7.3% | +53.8% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 7.4% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 7.5% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 8.4% | +12.0% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | +11.2% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | +11.5% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 12.4% | +16.0% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | -12.3% |
| 2022 | 9.5% | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 9.8% | +2.7% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 9.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 21.2%, 46% of the median. (66 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 9.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 20.2%, 48% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.5% | 5.9% | 7.0% | 4 |
| 1990s | 6.1% | 4.8% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.2% | 4.6% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.9% | 7.4% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 9.5% | 12.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More economy & growth data for United Arab Emirates
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.85 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 4.54 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 77.17 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.1397 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 7,024 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 45.64 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 48.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0826 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 4,154 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 22.86 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in United Arab Emirates?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in United Arab Emirates was 9.8% 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2007.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 168th out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.