Poland vs United Kingdom: Public social spending as share of GDP
Poland
23.1%
in 2024
United Kingdom
23.0%
in 2023
Poland rank
16th
United Kingdom rank
18th
Public social spending as share of GDP over time
- Poland
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Poland currently reports 23.1% against 23.0% in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Poland ranks 16th and United Kingdom ranks 18th of 42 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Poland averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Poland | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.1% | 19.3% | 1.8% | Poland |
| 2000s | 20.9% | 21.3% | 0.4% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 23.8% | 3.3% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 22.1% | 23.9% | 1.9% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher public social spending as share of gdp, Poland or United Kingdom?
- Poland, at 23.1% against 23.0% in United Kingdom as of 2024.
- What is the difference in public social spending as share of gdp between Poland and United Kingdom?
- 0.1%, with Poland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Poland and United Kingdom?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do Poland and United Kingdom rank globally for public social spending as share of gdp?
- Poland ranks 16th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Public social expenditure divided bt gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.