Social spending as share of GDP in Greece
Greece: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.4% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Social spending as share of GDP in Greece, 1980–2021
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for social spending as share of gdp in Greece is 0.4%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.7% on the previous year and up 38,200.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Greece peaked at 0.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1980.
Greece ranks 24th 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 Greece, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1983 | 0.0% | — |
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1986 | 0.0% | — |
| 1987 | 0.0% | — |
| 1988 | 0.0% | — |
| 1989 | 0.0% | — |
| 1990 | 0.1% | — |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +7.3% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | +59.3% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | -64.8% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | +62.3% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | +17.0% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -9.2% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | -11.8% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | +203.8% |
| 2000 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2001 | 0.0% | — |
| 2002 | 0.0% | — |
| 2003 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | — |
| 2005 | 0.0% | — |
| 2006 | 0.0% | — |
| 2007 | 0.0% | — |
| 2008 | 0.0% | — |
| 2009 | 0.0% | — |
| 2010 | 0.0% | — |
| 2011 | 0.0% | — |
| 2012 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0% | -50.0% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +28700.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -78.1% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | +138.1% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +107.3% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +40.8% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -17.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +11.4% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Greece
More economy & growth data for Greece
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.67 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.25 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -3.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1307 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 3,523 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 1.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4399 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 11,854 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate -3.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.3893 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Greece?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Greece was 0.4% 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 Greece?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Greece?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1980.
- How does Greece rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Greece ranks 24th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Greece?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38,200.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Greece 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
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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.