Australia vs Estonia: Public social spending as share of GDP

Australia
17.1%
in 2022
Estonia
17.2%
in 2023
Australia rank
31st
Estonia rank
30th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Australia
  • Estonia
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How they compare

Estonia currently reports 17.2% against 17.1% in Australia, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 9 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1999 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 31st and Estonia ranks 30th of 42 countries.

Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia Estonia Difference Ahead
1990s 17.2% 15.2% 2.0% Australia
2000s 17.0% 14.9% 2.1% Australia
2010s 17.6% 17.0% 0.6% Australia
2020s 19.3% 18.9% 0.4% Australia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Australia or Estonia?
Estonia, at 17.2% against 17.1% in Australia as of 2023.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Australia and Estonia?
0.1%, with Estonia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Estonia?
24 years are reported by both, from 1999 to 2022.
How do Australia and Estonia rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Australia ranks 31st and Estonia ranks 30th of 42 countries.
Where does this data come from?
OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Public social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs Estonia: Public social spending as share of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/social-spending-oecd-longrun/australia/estonia/

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About this data

Indicator
Public social spending as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 1,937 data points, 1880–2024
Last refreshed

Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.