Social spending as share of GDP in United States of America
United States of America: Social spending as share of GDP was 0.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Social spending as share of GDP in United States of America, 1980–2023
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 United States of America is 0.8%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 15.4% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, social spending as share of gdp in United States of America peaked at 0.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1987.
That places United States of America 12th 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 44 years of available data.
Social spending as share of GDP in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.5% | — |
| 1981 | 0.5% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -7.6% |
| 1983 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.4% | -9.0% |
| 1985 | 0.4% | -8.3% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -5.5% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | -5.6% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | +13.8% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | +18.5% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | +7.2% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -7.2% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | +10.0% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -5.0% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +21.0% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +23.6% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -5.8% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | +15.8% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | +25.5% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | -15.4% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 0.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 1.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More economy & growth data for United States of America
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 422.23 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0137 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,235 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 400.52 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 34.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.013 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,172 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 52.24 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is social spending as share of gdp in United States of America?
- Social spending as share of gdp in United States of America was 0.8% 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 United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest social spending as share of gdp recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1987.
- How does United States of America rank for social spending as share of gdp?
- United States of America ranks 12th out of 42 countries with data for 2023.
- Is social spending as share of gdp rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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.