Social spending as share of GDP in Germany
Germany: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.2% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Social spending as share of GDP in Germany, 1980–2021
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Germany recorded 0.2% for social spending as share of gdp in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.3% on the previous year and up 57.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Germany peaked at 0.6% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1991.
Germany ranks 31st of 42 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Social spending as share of GDP in Germany, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.3% | — |
| 1981 | 0.3% | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 0.3% | +8.4% |
| 1983 | 0.3% | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 0.3% | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | +12.1% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | +9.3% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | +19.3% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -82.0% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -7.1% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | +7.1% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | +116.2% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | -10.8% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -11.2% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | -8.7% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -10.2% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -10.0% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +9.4% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -17.9% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -8.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +16.0% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | +19.5% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | +60.5% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +51.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | -34.2% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | -14.0% |
| 2019 | 0.2% | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -12.8% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More economy & growth data for Germany
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7761 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.6565 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1528 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 9,246 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3808 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 23,036 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.337 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Germany?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Germany was 0.2% in 2021, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 1989.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1991.
- How does Germany rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Germany ranks 31st out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Public social expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage. Includes both in-cash and in-kind benefits in other social policy programs.