Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Denmark or Italy?

Italy, at 27.6% against 26.4% in Denmark as of 2024.

How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Italy?

51 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.

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.

Denmark vs Italy: Public social spending as share of GDP

Denmark

26.4%

in 2024

Italy

27.6%

in 2024

Denmark rank

7th

Italy rank

6th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

Denmark
Italy

How they compare

Italy currently reports 27.6% against 26.4% in Denmark, a difference of 1.2%.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1880 it was Denmark ahead.

Denmark ranks 7th and Italy ranks 6th of 42 countries.

Across the 11 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 10 and Italy in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Denmark	Italy	Difference	Ahead
1880s	1.0%	0.0%	1.0%	Denmark
1890s	1.1%	0.0%	1.1%	Denmark
1900s	1.4%	0.0%	1.4%	Denmark
1910s	1.8%	0.0%	1.8%	Denmark
1920s	2.7%	0.0%	2.7%	Denmark
1930s	3.1%	0.1%	3.0%	Denmark
1980s	20.3%	19.5%	0.7%	Denmark
1990s	23.9%	21.7%	2.3%	Denmark
2000s	25.4%	23.9%	1.5%	Denmark
2010s	29.6%	27.5%	2.2%	Denmark
2020s	27.2%	29.1%	2.0%	Italy

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Denmark or Italy?: Italy, at 27.6% against 26.4% in Denmark as of 2024.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Denmark and Italy?: 1.2%, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Italy?: 51 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
How do Denmark and Italy rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?: Denmark ranks 7th and Italy ranks 6th 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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Denmark vs Italy: 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/denmark/italy/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/social-spending-oecd-longrun/denmark/italy/">Denmark vs Italy: Public social spending as share of GDP</a> — Statizoid

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: 18 September 2026

Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.