Australia vs Romania: Public social spending as share of GDP

Australia
17.1%
in 2022
Romania
17.6%
in 2021
Australia rank
31st
Romania rank
29th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Australia
  • Romania
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How they compare

Romania currently reports 17.6% against 17.1% in Australia, a difference of 0.5%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 19 shared years of data; in 2003 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 31st and Romania ranks 29th of 42 countries.

Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia Romania Difference Ahead
2000s 16.7% 13.2% 3.5% Australia
2010s 17.6% 15.4% 2.2% Australia
2020s 20.3% 17.6% 2.8% 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 Romania?
Romania, at 17.6% against 17.1% in Australia as of 2021.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Australia and Romania?
0.5%, with Romania ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Romania?
19 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.
How do Australia and Romania rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Australia ranks 31st and Romania ranks 29th 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 Romania: 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/romania/

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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.