Italy vs Japan: Government spending by function
Italy
39.3%
in 2023
Japan
39.9%
in 2023
Italy rank
10th
Japan rank
8th
Government spending by function over time
- Italy
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 39.9% against 39.3% in Italy, a difference of 0.6%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Japan ahead.
Italy ranks 10th and Japan ranks 8th of 37 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.8% | 38.4% | 0.6% | Japan |
| 2010s | 41.4% | 40.9% | 0.5% | Italy |
| 2020s | 40.6% | 39.3% | 1.3% | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending by function, Italy or Japan?
- Japan, at 39.9% against 39.3% in Italy as of 2023.
- What is the difference in government spending by function between Italy and Japan?
- 0.6%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Japan?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2023.
- How do Italy and Japan rank globally for government spending by function?
- Italy ranks 10th and Japan ranks 8th of 37 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026) – 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.