Bulgaria vs United Kingdom: Public social spending as share of GDP
Bulgaria
20.5%
in 2021
United Kingdom
23.0%
in 2023
Bulgaria rank
21st
United Kingdom rank
18th
Public social spending as share of GDP over time
- Bulgaria
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 23.0% against 20.5% in Bulgaria, a difference of 2.5%.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.1 times Bulgaria's.
Across all 17 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
Bulgaria ranks 21st and United Kingdom ranks 18th of 42 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bulgaria | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.3% | 22.4% | 8.1% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 23.8% | 6.9% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 25.0% | 5.0% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Bulgaria or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 23.0% against 20.5% in Bulgaria as of 2023.
- What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Bulgaria and United Kingdom?
- 2.5%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bulgaria and United Kingdom?
- 17 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2021.
- How do Bulgaria and United Kingdom rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
- Bulgaria ranks 21st and United Kingdom ranks 18th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.