Belgium vs Denmark: Public social spending as share of GDP
Belgium
28.6%
in 2024
Denmark
26.4%
in 2024
Belgium rank
4th
Denmark rank
7th
Public social spending as share of GDP over time
- Belgium
- Denmark
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 28.6% against 26.4% in Denmark, a difference of 2.2%.
That makes Belgium's figure about 1.1 times Denmark's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1880 it was Denmark ahead.
Belgium ranks 4th and Denmark ranks 7th of 42 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 3 and Denmark in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Denmark | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.2% | 1.0% | 0.8% | Denmark |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 1.1% | 0.9% | Denmark |
| 1900s | 0.3% | 1.4% | 1.1% | Denmark |
| 1910s | 0.4% | 1.8% | 1.3% | Denmark |
| 1920s | 0.5% | 2.7% | 2.2% | Denmark |
| 1930s | 0.6% | 3.1% | 2.5% | Denmark |
| 1980s | 25.3% | 20.3% | 5.0% | Belgium |
| 1990s | 25.4% | 23.9% | 1.5% | Belgium |
| 2000s | 25.1% | 25.4% | 0.3% | Denmark |
| 2010s | 28.2% | 29.6% | 1.4% | Denmark |
| 2020s | 29.1% | 27.2% | 1.9% | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Belgium or Denmark?
- Belgium, at 28.6% against 26.4% in Denmark as of 2024.
- What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Belgium and Denmark?
- 2.2%, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Denmark?
- 51 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
- How do Belgium and Denmark rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
- Belgium ranks 4th and Denmark ranks 7th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025); OECD (1985); Lindert (2004) β 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.