Greece vs Portugal: Public social spending as share of GDP

Greece
23.7%
in 2024
Portugal
24.1%
in 2024
Greece rank
15th
Portugal rank
12th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Greece
  • Portugal
51015202530196019922024

How they compare

Portugal currently reports 24.1% against 23.7% in Greece, a difference of 0.4%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Greece ahead.

Greece ranks 15th and Portugal ranks 12th of 42 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Greece averaged higher in 4 and Portugal in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Greece Portugal Difference Ahead
1980s 14.1% 10.1% 4.0% Greece
1990s 16.8% 15.3% 1.6% Greece
2000s 20.0% 21.3% 1.2% Portugal
2010s 25.7% 23.8% 1.9% Greece
2020s 25.4% 24.5% 0.8% Greece

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Greece or Portugal?
Portugal, at 24.1% against 23.7% in Greece as of 2024.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Greece and Portugal?
0.4%, with Portugal ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Greece and Portugal?
45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
How do Greece and Portugal rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Greece ranks 15th and Portugal ranks 12th 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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Greece vs Portugal: 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/greece/portugal/

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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.