{"version":1,"asset_type":"statistical_series","data_type":"time_series","slug":"europe-government-spending-by-country","url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/europe-government-spending-by-country","html_url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/europe-government-spending-by-country/","title":"Government Spending in Europe by Country (2024)","description":"Total general government expenditure as a share of GDP across 30 European countries in 2024: Finland highest at 57.8%, Ireland lowest at 22.3%. Eurostat data.","domain":"macro","category":"Economy & Macro","keywords":["Macroeconomics","Public Finance","Government Spending","Europe","Eurostat"],"publisher":"Eurostat","frequency":"Annual","temporal_coverage":"2000/2024","unit":"% of GDP","last_updated":"2026-07-25","last_updated_text":"25 July 2026","data_as_of":"2024","variable_measured":"Total general government expenditure","license":"https://apiardata.com/data-license","is_accessible_for_free":true,"sources":[{"name":"Eurostat","url":"https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/GOV_10A_MAIN/default/table"}],"meta":[{"label":"Frequency","value":"Annual"},{"label":"Reference year","value":"2024"},{"label":"Coverage","value":"2000–2024"},{"label":"Countries","value":"30"},{"label":"Last updated","value":"25 July 2026"}],"kpis":[{"label":"Average of the panel (2024)","value":"45.6","unit":"percent of GDP","trend":{"direction":"up","value":"+0.5pp vs 2023"}},{"label":"Highest","value":"57.8","unit":"Finland"},{"label":"Lowest","value":"22.3","unit":"Ireland"},{"label":"Countries ranked","value":"30","unit":"with a published figure"}],"series":[{"key":"value","label":"Average government expenditure"}],"observation_count":25,"observations":[{"period":"2000","value":44.1},{"period":"2001","value":43.8},{"period":"2002","value":44.2},{"period":"2003","value":44.6},{"period":"2004","value":43.8},{"period":"2005","value":43.4},{"period":"2006","value":42.8},{"period":"2007","value":42.4},{"period":"2008","value":44.3},{"period":"2009","value":47.8},{"period":"2010","value":47.5},{"period":"2011","value":46.2},{"period":"2012","value":46.4},{"period":"2013","value":46.5},{"period":"2014","value":46},{"period":"2015","value":45},{"period":"2016","value":43.6},{"period":"2017","value":42.8},{"period":"2018","value":43},{"period":"2019","value":43},{"period":"2020","value":49},{"period":"2021","value":46.5},{"period":"2022","value":44.4},{"period":"2023","value":45.1},{"period":"2024","value":45.6}],"table":{"columns":[{"key":"rank","label":"#"},{"key":"country","label":"Country"},{"key":"value","label":"% of GDP"},{"key":"yoyChange","label":"Change vs 2023"}],"rows":[{"rank":"1","country":"Finland","value":"57.8","yoyChange":"+1.9pp"},{"rank":"2","country":"France","value":"57.0","yoyChange":"+0.2pp"},{"rank":"3","country":"Austria","value":"55.3","yoyChange":"+3.0pp"},{"rank":"4","country":"Belgium","value":"54.1","yoyChange":"+1.3pp"},{"rank":"5","country":"Sweden","value":"50.5","yoyChange":"+0.5pp"},{"rank":"6","country":"Italy","value":"50.4","yoyChange":"-3.2pp"},{"rank":"7","country":"Germany","value":"49.4","yoyChange":"+1.3pp"},{"rank":"8","country":"Poland","value":"49.2","yoyChange":"+2.3pp"},{"rank":"9","country":"Croatia","value":"48.4","yoyChange":"+1.8pp"},{"rank":"10","country":"Greece","value":"48.1","yoyChange":"-1.4pp"},{"rank":"11","country":"Norway","value":"47.8","yoyChange":"+2.8pp"},{"rank":"12","country":"Denmark","value":"47.4","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"13","country":"Slovakia","value":"47.4","yoyChange":"-1.0pp"},{"rank":"14","country":"Hungary","value":"47.3","yoyChange":"-2.4pp"},{"rank":"15","country":"Iceland","value":"47.1","yoyChange":"+1.9pp"},{"rank":"16","country":"Luxembourg","value":"46.8","yoyChange":"+0.4pp"},{"rank":"17","country":"Slovenia","value":"46.5","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"18","country":"Spain","value":"45.5","yoyChange":"+0.1pp"},{"rank":"19","country":"Latvia","value":"45.3","yoyChange":"+1.9pp"},{"rank":"20","country":"Netherlands","value":"44.4","yoyChange":"+0.4pp"},{"rank":"21","country":"Estonia","value":"44.0","yoyChange":"+0.9pp"},{"rank":"22","country":"Romania","value":"43.3","yoyChange":"+2.2pp"},{"rank":"23","country":"Czechia","value":"43.2","yoyChange":"-0.8pp"},{"rank":"24","country":"Portugal","value":"42.4","yoyChange":"+0.4pp"},{"rank":"25","country":"Lithuania","value":"39.4","yoyChange":"+2.2pp"},{"rank":"26","country":"Bulgaria","value":"39.2","yoyChange":"+0.3pp"},{"rank":"27","country":"Cyprus","value":"38.3","yoyChange":"-2.3pp"},{"rank":"28","country":"Malta","value":"37.2","yoyChange":"+1.4pp"},{"rank":"29","country":"Switzerland","value":"33.6","yoyChange":"+0.2pp"},{"rank":"30","country":"Ireland","value":"22.3","yoyChange":"+0.2pp"}]},"qa":[{"question":"Which European country has the largest public sector?","answer":"Measured as total general government expenditure against GDP, Finland at 57.8% of GDP, just ahead of France, Austria and Belgium. All four run comprehensive social insurance systems in which pensions, healthcare and unemployment benefits pass through public accounts rather than private ones — a large part of what separates them from lower-ranked countries is accounting boundary rather than the level of provision."},{"question":"Why is Ireland at the bottom of this ranking?","answer":"Ireland records 22.3% of GDP, far below every other country here, but the denominator is doing the work. Irish GDP is inflated by multinational profits and intellectual-property flows that generate no proportionate demand on public services. Measured against modified gross national income, the metric Ireland's own statisticians use, public spending is close to the western European norm."},{"question":"What does general government expenditure include?","answer":"Everything spent by central government, state and local government and social security funds: public sector pay, pensions and other social transfers, healthcare, education, defence, subsidies, interest on public debt and public investment. It is consolidated, so transfers between levels of government are not double-counted. It does not include spending by state-owned enterprises operating on a commercial basis."}]}