Social spending as share of GDP in Italy
Italy: Social spending as share of GDP was 1.6% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Social spending as share of GDP in Italy, 1980–2021
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, social spending as share of gdp in Italy stood at 1.6%. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 11.2% on the previous year and up 1,157.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Italy peaked at 1.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1980.
That places Italy 4th out of 42 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Social spending as share of GDP in Italy, 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 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.0% | +85.7% |
| 1992 | 0.0% | -23.1% |
| 1993 | 0.0% | +40.0% |
| 1994 | 0.0% | +14.3% |
| 1995 | 0.1% | +262.5% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | +30.0% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | -19.2% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | +36.5% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | +11.9% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -9.6% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 2008 | 0.1% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -8.8% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | +316.5% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +43.1% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +12.9% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +45.3% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | +11.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 1 Canada 2.4% compare
- 2 New Zealand 2.4% compare
- 3 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.6% compare
- 5 Netherlands 1.4% compare
- 6 Denmark 1.1% compare
- 7 France 1.1% compare
More economy & growth data for Italy
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.18 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.8337 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 26,434 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 7.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9807 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 42,472 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 2.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.8679 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 37,587 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 1.26 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Italy?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Italy was 1.6% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1980.
- How does Italy rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Italy ranks 4th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,157.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy 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.
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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.