Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in United States of America
United States of America: Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita was 11.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
11.7%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
161st
of 184 countries
All-time high
15.1%
in 1953
All-time low
9.1%
in 1996
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in United States of America, 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 United States of America is 11.7%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in United States of America peaked at 15.1% in 1953 and was at its lowest, 9.1%, in 1996.
United States of America ranks 161st of 184 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Share of government consumption in GDP vs. GDP per capita in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.3% | — |
| 1951 | 12.7% | +24.2% |
| 1952 | 14.7% | +15.6% |
| 1953 | 15.1% | +2.2% |
| 1954 | 14.1% | -6.1% |
| 1955 | 13.1% | -7.3% |
| 1956 | 12.8% | -2.3% |
| 1957 | 13.1% | +2.5% |
| 1958 | 13.6% | +3.9% |
| 1959 | 12.8% | -6.4% |
| 1960 | 12.5% | -2.1% |
| 1961 | 12.8% | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 13.0% | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 12.8% | -1.7% |
| 1964 | 12.4% | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 12.4% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 12.9% | +4.1% |
| 1967 | 13.9% | +8.1% |
| 1968 | 14.1% | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 14.2% | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 14.2% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 13.9% | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 13.5% | -3.3% |
| 1973 | 12.6% | -6.3% |
| 1974 | 13.1% | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 13.6% | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 12.8% | -5.4% |
| 1977 | 12.5% | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 12.0% | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 11.6% | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 11.9% | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 11.9% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 12.5% | +4.6% |
| 1983 | 12.2% | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 11.5% | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 11.6% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 11.9% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 11.7% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 11.5% | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 10.9% | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 11.1% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 10.9% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 10.5% | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 10.1% | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 9.7% | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 9.1% | -6.3% |
| 1997 | 9.3% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 9.2% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 9.3% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 9.2% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 9.6% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 10.0% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 10.7% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 11.2% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 12.3% | +9.5% |
| 2010 | 12.3% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 12.0% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 11.3% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 11.1% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 11.0% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 11.3% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 11.7% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 11.7% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 12.5% | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 12.2% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 11.7% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.2% | 10.3% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 13.1% | 12.4% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.0% | 11.6% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.8% | 11.4% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.0% | 9.1% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.5% | 9.2% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.5% | 11.0% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 11.7% | 12.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More economy & growth data for United States of America
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 422.23 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0137 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,235 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 400.52 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 34.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.013 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,172 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 52.24 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in United States of America?
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita in United States of America was 11.7% 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 States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 15.1% in 1953.
- What is the lowest share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.1% in 1996.
- How does United States of America rank for share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita?
- United States of America ranks 161st out of 184 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of government consumption in gdp vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America 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.