Colombia vs United States: Government spending by function
Colombia
25.1%
in 2023
United States
20.2%
in 2023
Colombia rank
34th
United States rank
37th
Government spending by function over time
- Colombia
- United States
How they compare
Colombia currently reports 25.1% against 20.2% in United States, a difference of 4.9%.
That makes Colombia's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 2009 it was Colombia ahead.
Colombia ranks 34th and United States ranks 37th of 37 countries.
Colombia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Colombia | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 28.2% | 20.0% | 8.2% | Colombia |
| 2010s | 27.0% | 20.3% | 6.7% | Colombia |
| 2020s | 25.6% | 23.4% | 2.1% | Colombia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function, Colombia or United States?
- Colombia, at 25.1% against 20.2% in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function between Colombia and United States?
- 4.9%, with Colombia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and United States?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 2009 to 2023.
- How do Colombia and United States rank globally for government spending by function?
- Colombia ranks 34th and United States ranks 37th of 37 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending by function. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
General government expenditure on social protection. This data is divided by total government expenditure, expressed as a percentage.