Iceland vs Romania: Public social spending as share of GDP

Iceland
19.2%
in 2024
Romania
17.6%
in 2021
Iceland rank
26th
Romania rank
29th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Iceland
  • Romania
0510152025199020072024

How they compare

Iceland currently reports 19.2% against 17.6% in Romania, a difference of 1.6%.

That makes Iceland's figure about 1.1 times Romania's.

Across all 19 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.

Iceland ranks 26th and Romania ranks 29th of 42 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland Romania Difference Ahead
2000s 16.3% 13.2% 3.1% Iceland
2010s 17.6% 15.4% 2.2% Iceland
2020s 22.9% 17.6% 5.3% Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Iceland or Romania?
Iceland, at 19.2% against 17.6% in Romania as of 2024.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Iceland and Romania?
1.6%, with Iceland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Romania?
19 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.
How do Iceland and Romania rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Iceland ranks 26th 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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Iceland 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/iceland/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.