Austria vs Finland: Public social spending as share of GDP

Austria
31.6%
in 2024
Finland
31.4%
in 2024
Austria rank
1st
Finland rank
2nd

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Austria
  • Finland
0102030188019522024

How they compare

Austria currently reports 31.6% against 31.4% in Finland, a difference of 0.2%.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1880 it was Finland ahead.

Austria ranks 1st and Finland ranks 2nd of 42 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Austria averaged higher in 5 and Finland in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade Austria Finland Difference Ahead
1880s 0.0% 0.7% 0.7% Finland
1890s 0.0% 0.8% 0.8% Finland
1900s 0.0% 0.8% 0.8% Finland
1910s 0.0% 0.9% 0.9% Finland
1920s 0.0% 0.8% 0.8% Finland
1930s 1.2% 3.0% 1.8% Finland
1960s 16.4% 10.2% 6.2% Austria
1970s 19.5% 15.5% 4.0% Austria
1980s 22.6% 19.1% 3.5% Austria
1990s 25.6% 28.0% 2.4% Finland
2000s 26.6% 23.8% 2.8% Austria
2010s 28.1% 29.4% 1.4% Finland
2020s 31.3% 30.9% 0.4% Austria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Austria or Finland?
Austria, at 31.6% against 31.4% in Finland as of 2024.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Austria and Finland?
0.2%, with Austria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Austria and Finland?
64 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
How do Austria and Finland rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Austria ranks 1st and Finland ranks 2nd 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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Austria vs Finland: 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/austria/finland/

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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.