Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Greece or United Kingdom?

Greece, at 23.7% against 23.0% in United Kingdom as of 2024.

How many years of comparable data are there for Greece and United Kingdom?

64 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2023.

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.

Greece vs United Kingdom: Public social spending as share of GDP

Greece

23.7%

in 2024

United Kingdom

23.0%

in 2023

Greece rank

15th

United Kingdom rank

18th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

Greece
United Kingdom

How they compare

Greece currently reports 23.7% against 23.0% in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.7%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 64 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United Kingdom ahead.

Greece ranks 15th and United Kingdom ranks 18th of 42 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Greece averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Greece	United Kingdom	Difference	Ahead
1960s	7.3%	11.9%	4.6%	United Kingdom
1970s	8.3%	15.3%	7.0%	United Kingdom
1980s	14.1%	18.6%	4.4%	United Kingdom
1990s	16.8%	19.3%	2.4%	United Kingdom
2000s	20.0%	21.3%	1.2%	United Kingdom
2010s	25.7%	23.8%	2.0%	Greece
2020s	25.8%	23.9%	1.8%	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 United Kingdom?: Greece, at 23.7% against 23.0% in United Kingdom as of 2024.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Greece and United Kingdom?: 0.7%, with Greece ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Greece and United Kingdom?: 64 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2023.
How do Greece and United Kingdom rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?: Greece ranks 15th and United Kingdom ranks 18th 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 United Kingdom: 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/united-kingdom/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/social-spending-oecd-longrun/greece/united-kingdom/">Greece vs United Kingdom: 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.