Social spending as share of GDP in Mexico
Mexico: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Social spending as share of GDP in Mexico, 1985–2023
Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, social spending as share of gdp in Mexico stood at 0.7%. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.9% on the previous year and up 38.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Mexico peaked at 0.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1987.
That places Mexico 13th out of 42 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Social spending as share of GDP in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1986 | 0.0% | -13.3% |
| 1987 | 0.0% | -15.4% |
| 1988 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +1063.6% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | +88.3% |
| 1991 | 0.3% | +24.1% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | +14.4% |
| 1993 | 0.3% | -12.3% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | +88.7% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | -24.4% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | -10.0% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -18.4% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -31.8% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +242.6% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -9.9% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -6.0% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | +7.1% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | +23.6% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | -16.5% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -7.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -17.3% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +97.0% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | +7.5% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 0.7% | +12.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More economy & growth data for Mexico
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.43 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.06 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate -5.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2261 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 3,140 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate -0.4705 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 4.35 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 60,415 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -6.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1618 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in Mexico?
- Social spending as share of gdp in Mexico was 0.7% in 2023, according to OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1987.
- How does Mexico rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- Mexico ranks 13th out of 42 countries with data for 2023.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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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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.