Canada vs Latvia: Public social spending as share of GDP

Canada
19.3%
in 2022
Latvia
19.7%
in 2023
Canada rank
24th
Latvia rank
23rd

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Canada
  • Latvia
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How they compare

Latvia currently reports 19.7% against 19.3% in Canada, a difference of 0.4%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Canada ahead.

Canada ranks 24th and Latvia ranks 23rd of 42 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Canada Latvia Difference Ahead
1990s 18.0% 7.8% 10.2% Canada
2000s 17.1% 14.1% 3.0% Canada
2010s 18.6% 16.8% 1.8% Canada
2020s 22.4% 20.5% 1.9% Canada

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Canada or Latvia?
Latvia, at 19.7% against 19.3% in Canada as of 2023.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Canada and Latvia?
0.4%, with Latvia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Latvia?
29 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2022.
How do Canada and Latvia rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Canada ranks 24th and Latvia ranks 23rd 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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Canada vs Latvia: 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/canada/latvia/

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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.