Australia vs Ireland: Government spending per capita
Australia
29,639 current international-$
in 2024
Ireland
31,581 current international-$
in 2024
Australia rank
16th
Ireland rank
14th
Government spending per capita over time
- Australia
- Ireland
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 31,581 current international-$ against 29,639 current international-$ in Australia, a difference of 1,942 current international-$.
That makes Ireland's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 18 shared years of data; in 2007 it was Ireland ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and Ireland ranks 14th of 43 countries.
Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14,822 current international-$ | 18,143 current international-$ | 3,322 current international-$ | Ireland |
| 2010s | 17,965 current international-$ | 21,174 current international-$ | 3,210 current international-$ | Ireland |
| 2020s | 27,283 current international-$ | 28,737 current international-$ | 1,454 current international-$ | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government spending per capita, Australia or Ireland?
- Ireland, at 31,581 current international-$ against 29,639 current international-$ in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in government spending per capita between Australia and Ireland?
- 1,942 current international-$, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Ireland?
- 18 years are reported by both, from 2007 to 2024.
- How do Australia and Ireland rank globally for government spending per capita?
- Australia ranks 16th and Ireland ranks 14th of 43 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Government spending per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total amount of money the general government spends per capita. This data is adjusted for differences in living costs between countries but not for inflation.