Social spending as share of GDP in Romania

Romania: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.1% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
0.1%
Change on year
up 53.1%
World rank
37th
of 42 countries
All-time high
0.4%
in 2007
All-time low
0.0%
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Social spending as share of GDP in Romania, 2000–2021

00.10.20.30.42000201020212000: 0.041 % of GDP2001: 0.047 % of GDP2002: 0.283 % of GDP2003: 0.209 % of GDP2004: 0.213 % of GDP2005: 0.298 % of GDP2006: 0.291 % of GDP2007: 0.422 % of GDP2008: 0.283 % of GDP2009: 0.227 % of GDP2010: 0.3 % of GDP2011: 0.233 % of GDP2012: 0.17 % of GDP2013: 0.162 % of GDP2014: 0.152 % of GDP2015: 0.141 % of GDP2016: 0.146 % of GDP2017: 0.12 % of GDP2018: 0.089 % of GDP2019: 0.066 % of GDP2020: 0.064 % of GDP2021: 0.098 % of GDP

Source: OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Romania recorded 0.1% for social spending as share of gdp in 2021.

That represents a change of up 53.1% on the previous year and down 57.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in Romania peaked at 0.4% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2000.

That places Romania 37th out of 42 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Social spending as share of GDP in Romania, year by year

Annual values for Social spending as share of GDP in Romania, 2000 to 2021.
Year % of GDP Change
2000 0.0%
2001 0.0% +14.6%
2002 0.3% +502.1%
2003 0.2% -26.1%
2004 0.2% +1.9%
2005 0.3% +39.9%
2006 0.3% -2.3%
2007 0.4% +45.0%
2008 0.3% -32.9%
2009 0.2% -19.8%
2010 0.3% +32.2%
2011 0.2% -22.3%
2012 0.2% -27.0%
2013 0.2% -4.7%
2014 0.2% -6.2%
2015 0.1% -7.2%
2016 0.1% +3.5%
2017 0.1% -17.8%
2018 0.1% -25.8%
2019 0.1% -25.8%
2020 0.1% -3.0%
2021 0.1% +53.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.2% 0.0% 0.4% 10
2010s 0.2% 0.1% 0.3% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2

Countries ranked near Romania

  1. 34 Poland 0.1% compare
  2. 35 Latvia 0.1% compare
  3. 36 Hungary 0.1% compare
  4. 38 Czechia 0.1% compare
  5. 39 Ireland 0.1% compare
  6. 40 Türkiye 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More economy & growth data for Romania

All data for Romania →

Frequently asked questions

What is social spending as share of gdp in Romania?
Social spending as share of gdp in Romania was 0.1% 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 Romania?
The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2007.
What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in Romania?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2000.
How does Romania rank for social spending as share of gdp?
Romania ranks 37th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Romania?
Over the last ten years it is down 57.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Romania 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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Social spending as share of GDP in Romania. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/social-expenditure-as-percentage-of-gdp/romania/

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About this data

Indicator
Social spending as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
OECD (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 1,427 data points, 1980–2023
Last refreshed

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.