Ireland vs South Korea: Public social spending as share of GDP
Ireland
14.4%
in 2024
South Korea
15.3%
in 2024
Ireland rank
36th
South Korea rank
35th
Public social spending as share of GDP over time
- Ireland
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 15.3% against 14.4% in Ireland, a difference of 0.9%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Ireland's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Ireland ahead.
Ireland ranks 36th and South Korea ranks 35th of 42 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.8% | 3.2% | 13.5% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 5.5% | 11.0% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 8.9% | 9.1% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 13.8% | 15.4% | 1.6% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Ireland or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 15.3% against 14.4% in Ireland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Ireland and South Korea?
- 0.9%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and South Korea?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Ireland and South Korea rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
- Ireland ranks 36th and South Korea ranks 35th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.