France vs Germany: Public social spending as share of GDP
France
30.6%
in 2024
Germany
27.9%
in 2024
France rank
3rd
Germany rank
5th
Public social spending as share of GDP over time
- France
- Germany
How they compare
France currently reports 30.6% against 27.9% in Germany, a difference of 2.7%.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1880 it was Germany ahead.
France ranks 3rd and Germany ranks 5th of 42 countries.
Across the 10 decades both report, France averaged higher in 5 and Germany in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | Germany |
| 1890s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% | France |
| 1900s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | Germany |
| 1930s | 1.1% | 4.8% | 3.8% | Germany |
| 1970s | 18.6% | 22.4% | 3.8% | Germany |
| 1980s | 18.7% | 22.2% | 3.5% | Germany |
| 1990s | 27.5% | 24.7% | 2.8% | France |
| 2000s | 28.7% | 25.6% | 3.1% | France |
| 2010s | 31.3% | 25.8% | 5.5% | France |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 28.2% | 3.8% | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, France or Germany?
- France, at 30.6% against 27.9% in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between France and Germany?
- 2.7%, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Germany?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2024.
- How do France and Germany rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
- France ranks 3rd 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.