Finland vs Germany: Public social spending as share of GDP
Finland
31.4%
in 2024
Germany
27.9%
in 2024
Finland rank
2nd
Germany rank
5th
Public social spending as share of GDP over time
- Finland
- Germany
How they compare
Finland currently reports 31.4% against 27.9% in Germany, a difference of 3.5%.
That makes Finland's figure about 1.1 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 69 shared years of data; in 1880 it was Finland ahead.
Finland ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 5th of 42 countries.
Across the 11 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 6 and Germany in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Finland | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.2% | Finland |
| 1890s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.2% | Finland |
| 1900s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.2% | Finland |
| 1930s | 3.0% | 4.8% | 1.9% | Germany |
| 1960s | 10.2% | 16.2% | 5.9% | Germany |
| 1970s | 15.5% | 20.2% | 4.7% | Germany |
| 1980s | 20.6% | 22.2% | 1.7% | Germany |
| 1990s | 28.0% | 24.7% | 3.4% | Finland |
| 2000s | 23.8% | 25.6% | 1.8% | Germany |
| 2010s | 29.4% | 25.8% | 3.6% | Finland |
| 2020s | 30.9% | 28.2% | 2.7% | Finland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Finland or Germany?
- Finland, at 31.4% against 27.9% in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Finland and Germany?
- 3.5%, with Finland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and Germany?
- 69 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
- How do Finland and Germany rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
- Finland ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 5th 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.