Estonia vs Romania: Public social spending as share of GDP

Estonia
17.2%
in 2023
Romania
17.6%
in 2021
Estonia rank
30th
Romania rank
29th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Estonia
  • Romania
05101520199920112023

How they compare

Romania currently reports 17.6% against 17.2% in Estonia, a difference of 0.4%.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 19 shared years of data; in 2003 it was Estonia ahead.

Estonia ranks 30th and Romania ranks 29th of 42 countries.

Estonia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Estonia Romania Difference Ahead
2000s 15.6% 13.2% 2.4% Estonia
2010s 17.0% 15.4% 1.6% Estonia
2020s 19.7% 17.6% 2.1% Estonia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Estonia or Romania?
Romania, at 17.6% against 17.2% in Estonia as of 2021.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Estonia and Romania?
0.4%, with Romania ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and Romania?
19 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.
How do Estonia and Romania rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Estonia ranks 30th and Romania ranks 29th 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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Estonia vs Romania: 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/estonia/romania/

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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.