Netherlands vs Romania: Public social spending as share of GDP

Netherlands
18.9%
in 2024
Romania
17.6%
in 2021
Netherlands rank
27th
Romania rank
29th

Public social spending as share of GDP over time

  • Netherlands
  • Romania
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How they compare

Netherlands currently reports 18.9% against 17.6% in Romania, a difference of 1.3%.

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

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

Netherlands ranks 27th and Romania ranks 29th of 42 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Netherlands Romania Difference Ahead
2000s 18.6% 13.2% 5.5% Netherlands
2010s 18.4% 15.4% 3.0% Netherlands
2020s 20.5% 17.6% 2.9% Netherlands

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Netherlands or Romania?
Netherlands, at 18.9% against 17.6% in Romania as of 2024.
What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Netherlands and Romania?
1.3%, with Netherlands ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Romania?
19 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.
How do Netherlands and Romania rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
Netherlands ranks 27th 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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Netherlands 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/netherlands/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.